The Golden Stranger
by MegaKat
Summary: Who is this gorgeous man that Usagi's been teamed up with for a year? Why can't he take a hint? And when she's captured by youma, will he come to rescue her, when no one else is able? : Rated M for content and violence. Complete! YES! SUCCESS!
1. Prologue

**Yay, a new story! Actually, I've just about finished the whole damned thing, believe it or not. Leave it to me to write the prologue LAST. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but quickly grew into a story that'll be about 5-6 chapters long. I hope yall enjoy it, and if you do, please leave me some love by way of a review. Reviews make me squeal with happiness! Just ask my husband! When I start squealing and kicking my feet in glee, he mumbles, "sounds like a review to me… wish you'd make that noise for other stuff…" ^_^**

"Hey, Stranger." Sailor Moon beamed when the golden-haired warrior turned and smiled at her. "There's a bank robbery up the street. Feel like kicking some ass and taking some names?"

"Hells yes. Come on." He scooped her up without hesitation and she knew she wasn't imagining things when he held her a little tighter than necessary. Why didn't he just make a move already? God, they'd only been fighting together for nearly a year, and she knew that the way he looked at her was anything but plutonic.

They dropped down right outside the bank and busted through the locked doors without hesitation. Stranger darted forward and bent the muzzle of the gun pointed at the hostages before the robber could even fire, while Sailor Moon beat the shit out of another one. He quickly incapacitated a third robber when he aimed a pistol at the heroine.

Compared to fighting youma, this was a piece of cake. They tied up the robbers and graciously accepted the thanks of the hostages, but they really needed to take off before the cops arrived. One thing they both hated more than anything else was having to deal with the police and photographers.

Stranger pulled her to him took off into the night sky, and set her down carefully on a nearby rooftop. "Well, that was easy. Anything else you might need help with?"

Sailor Moon grinned. Was he flirting with her? About damn time, in her honest opinion. "I'm not sure. Anything you might need help with?" Her eyes flicked appreciatively over his muscular form. Hopefully he'd take the hint for once. Maybe she should fake a fainting spell and he'd try to give her mouth to mouth. Yeah, in her dreams.

Kami, he wanted to kiss her. He settled for pulling her to him in a tight embrace, and wondered if he was imagining things. Did her fingers just linger against the skin above his jacket collar? He let his own hand stroke against her spine, but only for a moment. "You're not hurt, are you, Moon?"

Sailor Moon snorted at the idea. "Not even a bruise. Thanks for helping, though, it's always good to see you." Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment when she could have sworn his cheek brushed against hers. She returned it without hesitation. Damn it, if he'd only make a move! Fine, she'd make one. "You want to go get some coffee or something?" She asked hopefully.

Stranger stiffened a little at the idea. Was she asking him out? Or was it just a friend thing? Kami, he had to stay out of the friend zone with this woman, it would drive him insane if she ever started thinking of him as an older brother. He sighed. "Probably not a great idea, you know? Sailor Moon and the Golden Warrior walk into a coffee shop…"

"Sounds like the start of a bad joke," she laughed. She pulled away from his embrace, afraid she'd do something stupid if she let him hold her a moment longer. He didn't want her, it was as simple as that, and she knew he wasn't an idiot. Only an idiot would have ignored all of the hints and signals she'd been giving him for six months. She kissed his cheek softly. "I guess I'll see you next time, then. Bye, Stranger."

Stranger groaned and sagged against the door that led to the rooftop. "Why can't I just make a move, already?" Next time. That had been his mantra for the last six months. He'd say something, or do something to know let her know how he felt. Next time.

###########################

_"Hey, beautiful."_

_ Usagi looked up at the gorgeous man gazing down at her and smiled. "Hey, Stranger." _

_ "Let's get you out of here, huh?" He scooped her into his arms effortlessly and took off, carrying her out of the dark cell she'd called home for the last six days. She squeezed her eyes shut as the sunlight hit them, burning bright red spots into her head. Usagi relaxed against him and kissed his mouth, just as she'd wanted to do forever. "I love you, Stranger."_

##############

Usagi screamed in pain and rage when a whip cut into her back, waking her instantaneously. She kicked out at her attacker, but after six days with barely any water and not a bite of food, she was as weak as a newborn kitten. "I'll kill you," she croaked.

God, she'd been free! Why did her dreams have to torment her so! She'd had a different variation of them every time she'd closed her eyes, and recently, they'd been her only solace. All hope of being rescued had died in her that morning when her captors had informed her of her Senshi's deaths. If they'd just let her sleep now, let her die… at least she'd die being held by someone she loved. Even if he was only a dream.

"You can try, princess," the youma laughed, "but without the Silver Crystal, I think you're going to have a hard time of it. You couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag in your current state.

Usagi sank to her knees as the whip tore into her skin once more, and bit down on her lip to keep from making a sound. Her voice was already ragged from all of the screaming, and she had learned quickly that her captors tended to leave her alone when they couldn't get a reaction out of her.

She cataloged her injuries, as had become her habit, while she took the beating without complaint. The only indication that it hurt was the occasional flinch across her face, and the tightening of her jaw.

Her ribs ached from the initial fight, when she'd been kidnapped and drug into the blackness that surrounded her. They were knitting, but they screamed if she breathed too deeply.

Her head still hurt from a blow she'd taken on the second day, when she'd futilely tried to stab a youma with a piece of a beer bottle she'd found. They'd used the bottle to carve into her chest and her face. She'd been vain about her face before they'd taken her, but now she barely gave a shit. It was everything she could do just to keep the cuts from getting infected from the piss and shit that she'd been forced to sleep in.

Her leg had been broken on the fourth day, and it still screamed every time she moved, though she gave no outward indication of the level of agony she was in.

And throughout all of these injuries had been the constant whippings. They'd demanded answers. Where was the Silver Crystal, who were her allies, who was the Golden Stranger, what were their real identities? She'd clammed up, and had been secretly grateful when they'd punched her in the throat, removing any ability to talk for the first two days. During that time, she'd managed to strengthen her resolve, her refusal to give them an inch.

The only inch she'd give them would be their own deaths, when she finally figured out a way to take them with her.

#####################

"Still no sign of her?" Rei asked softly. She wiped at the tears in her eyes when Ami, Makoto and Minako entered the shrine. This was all her fault. She should have been there to protect Usagi, should have been there to die for her if her sacrifice would have saved her best friend and leader. Rei regretted every ugly word she'd ever said to Usagi, and wished desperately that she could see her again so she could take every bit of it back.

"No," Ami replied thickly. She'd done her share of crying as well; they all had.

"Maybe she's…" Minako shook her head violently. "No, we can't believe that. She's alive somewhere, we just have to find her."

Makoto flopped down next to Rei and shook her head. "Any sign of the Golden Warrior? He's fought with Usa a lot more than any of us in the last few months. If anything, he deserves to be told."

"He also deserves to be told how Usa felt about him… if we can't find her," Rei added gently. "She… she had it really bad. The day before she was taken, they stopped a robbery, and she felt like he'd been close to finally making a move." She sighed bitterly. "I wish there was some way to contact him. What did Mamoru say?"

The other three girls groaned, and wore expressions ranging from embarrassment to outrage. "He's finally on his way back from university in America," Makoto grumbled. "Fucking asshole. The love of his life goes missing, and he actually bothers to ask permission from his professors before taking off."

"What a jackass," Ami snapped. "What?" She asked, when everyone just looked at her in surprise. "He is!"

"Yeah, we just didn't expect you to actually say it," Minako said dryly. She shook her head. "Look, we all keep a watch, just as we've been doing. Every night. And if you see Stranger, you stop him, even if it means getting the shit beaten out of you."

They all nodded, willing to do anything at this point to save their fallen comrade.

#################

"_Kami, I love you so much."_

_Usagi lifted her hips against him in encouragement. "I love you too, Stranger." She'd been about to say more, but his mouth cut hers off as he assaulted her lips with his own. Gone were the sweet kisses from before; this was a primal mating of tongues that demanded her complete surrender to him. _

_She gave him that surrender without restraint when he took her._

################

Usagi was snapped out of her dream when a whip bit into her back again, and she turned and flew at her attacker with renewed strength. Fucking hell, they taken everything from her, even her dignity, and they would _not _take this from her. Dreaming about rescue was over at this point, but dreaming about Stranger making love to her… damn it, it was all she had left, and she would die happily if her heart stopped beating in her sleep.

She snatched the whip from her tormentor's hands, and savagely beat the youma until she was forced to shift her weight back. Her leg collapsed out from under her, but she continued her assault on his legs, so lost was she in her fury.

"Aw, did we wake you from a good dream?" A female youma asked knowingly. "I hope it was worth it, because now we'll just beat you even harder." She shoved the incompetent lackey behind her and yanked the whip from the girl's hands before proceeding to savagely beat her over the face with it.

Usagi had a flicker of gratitude wash over her when she felt a thud on the back of her head, saw stars, and fell unconscious. At least she'd goaded the stupid bitch into giving her exactly what she wanted.


	2. Chapter 1

**Well, I got the first chapter ready. Wow, I got absolutely NO reviews for the prologue? God, I must suck at this a lot more than I thought I did? Well, even if you hate it, I'd still appreciate a cease and desist letter… in the form of a review. :) At least then, I could say that I got ONE. Enjoy yall!**

"_God, please. Please, Stranger," two perfect lips moaned against his ear._

_ He ripped the fuku right from her body while her shaking hands fumbled with the buttons on his jeans. He was inside of her the moment he was free, and he moaned against her. "Kami, woman." She was hot, wet, and tight, just as he'd imagined she'd be. He nipped at her throat as he thrust against her and she whimpered with pleasure._

_ "Harder," she gasped. "Please, Stranger. I need you so badly."_

_ His lips came crashing down on hers, and he gave her everything she begged for and more._

"What the FUCK!" Trunks shot straight up in bed and sputtered for air when something ice cold soaked him from his face to his waist.

"I came in and woke you thirty minutes ago, boy. I told you what was coming if you didn't get your ass in the gravity room."

He glared at his father and growled in the back of his throat. Damn it, Dad just _had _to wake him up from the best wet dream of his life, didn't he? "You _suck_, Dad."

"No," Vegeta said flatly, "your mother does. Quite well, I might add." He gave his trademark smirk when his oldest child seemed sufficiently disgusted. "You've got five minutes, boy. Get your ass in the gravity room."

A single eyebrow lifted when Trunks slid out of the bed, sporting a raging boner. So, **that's** what his boy had been mumbling about in his sleep. Vegeta snorted and his smirk nearly became a grin when Trunks blushed and ran his fingers through his lavender hair in embarrassment. "_Fifteen_ minutes," Vegeta corrected himself. "Go take a cold shower. Or rub one out. Whichever." Vegeta suppressed a laugh when his son turned an even darker shade of red. "Don't make me come looking for you again, boy."

Trunks groaned and scooped up some clothes and a towel before dashing into his bathroom. He thought about cutting the water on as cold as he could get it, but decided to go with his father's second suggestion.

Considering his level of arousal, he felt better in no time.

He leaned back into the spray and washed his hair while he thought of his moon goddess. Kami, where had she been? Sure, there weren't as many crimes in the area since they'd both been beating the shit out of any would-be criminals, but he figured she'd at least be out on patrol or something. But no, he knew for sure that she wasn't, because whenever she was around, the moon shone in the sky, regardless of whether it was night or day.

Regardless of the fact that the earth hadn't even had a moon since his friend, Gohan, had been a child.

He cut off the water and used his ki to dry off before throwing on his clothes. Maybe he should go on patrol tonight. Maybe she'd see him and join him on his circuit around South City. Maybe he'd finally get up the nerve to tell her how he felt about her. Or maybe not. Next time.

Trunks plodded his way down to the gravity room and closed the door behind him. "Alright, let's train," he sighed.

Vegeta just stared at his son. Trunks _never _shirked his training, and certainly never made it sound like a chore. "Alright, brat, what's her name?"

"I don't know." Trunks shook his head sullenly when his father just rolled his eyes and huffed. "It'll sound so retarded if I tell you," he groaned.

"Try me."

Shit, he had to tell someone. And at least his father wouldn't break confidence with him. "Well, you know that I've been going out into the city to help with the crime rate, right?"

"A complete waste of time, if you ask me. At least you're not dressing up like a fucking idiot. Like Kakarot's brat."

Trunks shrugged. While he valued his father's opinion, he would continue with his regular ventures into the city to fight crime, whether Vegeta liked it or not. But even he had to admit that the Great Saiyaman was just… gay.

"What was that?" His father asked, when Trunks grumbled something that even his superior Saiyan hearing couldn't pick up.

"I said, Sailor Moon," he said a little louder. When his father didn't laugh at him, Trunks was surprised. "Go ahead, laugh, I know you want to."

The Prince of all Saiyans shrugged. "I can't blame you. I saw her once." Greats tits, good wide hips, and legs for miles. At least his son had taste. Hell, at least his son liked girls. Vegeta had been worried for a few years, since Trunks was twenty-two and had yet to take a mate.

"Well, we were helping each other… we'd team up, you know? But lately, the moon hasn't appeared in the sky, so I know she's not hitting her usual patrol. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth."

"Maybe she took a vacation, brat. Or maybe she just got tired of saving those stupid humans."

"Not her. Never," Trunks denied vehemently. "Vacation, maybe, but she just doesn't quit. That's not her style. And if she was going to take a break, I'm pretty sure she would have given me a head's up."

Vegeta leaned against the wall and thought for a moment. "Have you tried to find her?"

Trunks shook his head slowly. "Before I came up here, I thought about maybe going into the city tonight and hitting the old route. Maybe she'll see me and make an appearance." He sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a perfect mirror of his father.

Vegeta nodded, and moved to the controls on the wall, turning the gravity up to 300G. He'd think while he trained with his son; Vegeta always did his best thinking when he was fighting. As much as he acted like he didn't give a shit, he actually cared a great deal for his offspring and his mate, and wanted them to be happy. Seeing his son miserable made him feel uncharacteristically sympathetic towards him.

Well, he would feel sympathetic once he was done beating the shit out of him, anyway.

################

Trunks walked out of the gravity room eight hours later, soaked in sweat and utterly exhausted. It was already six in the evening, so he'd grab something to eat and head out to find his moon goddess. He frankly wanted nothing more than to fall into bed, but his worry and need to see her kept him from lying down and passing out.

He showered again, then headed to the kitchen, where he matched his father and sister plate for plate. Thank Kami his mother had invented a machine that just made you whatever you wanted to eat and had it ready in a matter of seconds. Trunks couldn't even imagine cooking enough food to feed a Saiyan brood of three.

After changing and equipping the sword that his future self had given him as a gift, Trunks powered up to level one and shot into the sky, heading for South City. He went straight to the Juuban district, where he'd encountered her twice as often as any other place, and began to make the rounds via rooftop while he searched the sky for even a flicker of moonlight.

Trunks was about to give up when a nearby clock chimed midnight, but decided to make a pass by the shrine and check the park. He nearly blasted the figure that landed in front of him straight to Hell. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice dangerously soft.

"I'm a friend." A girl with long black hair and violet eyes, dressed very similarly to his goddess, stepped out of the shadows. "We've been looking for you for over a week, you know."

Trunks raised a single golden eyebrow at the anger in her voice. "Moon hasn't made an appearance, so I assumed there wasn't any trouble. What, did something happen to her?" A pang of terror shot through him at the thought that she had possibly been hurt, and he hadn't even been there to stop it.

"I can give you the basics, but the others should be here, too." The raven-haired beauty flipped open the face of her watch and pushed a little blue button. "Mercury, this is Mars."

"Mercury here. What's up?"

"Goldilocks has finally landed."

A relieved sound came from the other end. "What's your twenty, Mars?"

"Just outside the shrine. Meet us in the park. Contact Jupiter and Venus, too." Mars closed her watch and glared at him. "Come on, Golden Boy."

"Wait, who in the hell are you?" Trunks asked suddenly. This could be a trap. This chick could be the one holding his goddess hostage, if there was in fact a hostage situation going on.

"Sailor Mars. I'm one of Sailor Moon's guardians, and her best friend." She fearlessly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the park, paranoid that they would be spotted just standing there on the sidewalk. "The others will be here soon. Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus are also her guardians." She turned on him once they were well hidden among the trees. "Sailor Moon was kidnapped, right outside her college, in broad daylight. She didn't even have time to transform, which is why you didn't see the moon. And of course, she forgot her communicator and her locket, as usual. So we have no way to track her."

Trunks nearly yelled at her for the contempt in her voice, but the stress on her face and the worry in her eyes stopped him. "Do you know who took her? Where did they go? What did they look like?"

Mars shook her head. "Youma, most likely. We haven't seen any in years, not since we were in our late teens. Mercury can give you much better intel than I can. She's found a few… anomalies throughout the city, and she thinks there's a pattern. It could show us where she's been taken."

A figure dropped out of the trees, followed immediately by two more. Trunks bowed his head briefly in greeting to each of them. They were all dressed in identical uniforms, except for the color, and a few other variations. The one in blue was the first to step forward. "I'm Sailor Mercury."

Trunks shook with her firmly. "Not sure what to call myself, sorry. I'd tell you my first name, but it's pretty unique, so you'd have no trouble guessing who I really am. Sailor Moon just called me Stranger."

Kami, what he wouldn't give to hear her voice again, saying, "Hey, Stranger! Long time no see!"

"Understood. We're pretty secretive about our real identities as well. I won't delay with any more formalities. That's Jupiter." The girl in green nodded sternly towards him. "And that's Venus." The girl in orange gave a half-hearted smile. "A little over a week ago, Sailor Moon was kidnapped right outside of her school." Mercury pulled a computer out of thin air and flipped it open. "Witnesses reported that she was taken into a nearby building, but no one was in it when some bystanders tried to come to her rescue."

"Where's the building?" Trunks looked around, itching to get on the job and find his moon goddess.

"Hang on." Mercury pushed a few buttons and pulled up a map of the city. "See these lines right here? These are barriers that we've found throughout the city, and none of us can get through them, even after we detransform. It seems that they're impervious to anything magic. We've been trying for days to get in, but nothing we've tried has worked."

Sailor Moon had once explained to him that her attacks were magical, rather than ki-based, so he understood. "You think they'll block out ki-based attacks?"

"No. Since everyone has a ki, it would be pretty difficult for the enemy to keep a low profile and block everyone from those sections of the city at the same time."

"Not sections. Section," Trunks corrected her. He rolled his eyes when she raised her chin imperiously. "Look, pull up a map of the sewer system, and you'll see that I'm right. Moon and I once chased some bank robbers down there, and that whole area in connected by a series of tunnels. I guarantee you she's down there."

Sailor Mercury looked like she was going to cry for a moment, when she pulled up the map of the sewers and saw the pattern. "God, I'm so stupid, I should have figured that out."

Trunks hugged her tightly. She clearly cared about Sailor Moon, so he had no problem giving her some comfort. "No, if you've never been down there, you wouldn't know."

Jupiter stepped forward, and held out her hand. "Give her these when you find her. It's her locket and her communicator. You can use the latter to call us if you need any help that we can possibly give you." She clenched her fist against her side and blinked against the tears in her eyes. "When you come across whoever took her…"

"Don't worry, I'll kill them all."

"Make them suffer," Mars hissed. Her hands were engulfed in flames as her anger rose, and she quickly shook them out. She'd been having problems controlling her anger since Usagi had been taken. She mostly blamed herself, since she was supposed to have been in class with her that day, but had been out with a cold.

Trunks was in a hurry to head out, so he peeked at Mercury's computer screen one more time to get his bearings. "I'll call when I've found her," he assured them, before taking off at a dead run for the closest street. He easily plucked up the first manhole cover he could find, and dropped right into the sewer.

He pulled a compass out of his pocket and headed in a more-or-less westerly direction, towards the barrier. "Huh. I can't sense her ki when she's Sailor Moon, but I wonder if I can when she's not." Trunks didn't sense anything ahead of him, so he kept moving down the system of tunnels, headed steadily west.

He sensed a change in the air after a mile of walking. Not necessarily a tangible change, it was more like a scent in the air or a taste on the tongue. "Must be the barrier." He searched again for the feel of Sailor Moon's ki, and as soon as he felt a very faint flicker in the distance, he heard a voice breathing in his ear.

"So, the Golden Warrior finally makes an appearance."

Trunks swung around to face his attacker, but couldn't find a ki to focus on when a shadow slipped around him and disappeared. "Show yourself," he growled.

"Oh, but that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? Answer me this, boy. How did you get through the barrier? We were hoping to confront you in the city."

Trunks closed his eyes to focus on the direction that the voice was coming from. If he couldn't follow its ki, he'd simply listen and hopefully it would hold still long enough for him to kill it. He was already charging a small ki ball in his hand, waiting for the right moment to strike. "I don't know how I got through, and I don't really care. Where is she?"

"But if I tell you, it takes all the fun out of the game!" The voice laughed. It had stopped moving, and was now directly behind him.

"I swear to Kami, if you've hurt her…"

"Well now… sounds like someone has a little… crush? Aw, that's too cute. Shame, really, after what we did to her face." She grinned savagely. "And if you think that's bad enough, you should see what we did to the rest of her."

Trunks turned his hand and shot the ki ball directly behind him at the voice, drew his sword, and spun to slice the shadow in half. The voice was now screaming in agony, but the scream faded, gurgled, and died out. He shut his eyes and focused on the flickering ki signature not too far ahead, and blasted towards it.

He stopped dead when he caught sight of something ahead of him. It was huge, and green, and ugly. And as far as he was concerned, it was dead. He dashed forward, sword flying, and the youma fell to the ground in a heap of putrid flesh and bloody intestines. "Anyone else?" He asked softly.

A blast of light knocked him off his feet and into the sewage, and he fought the urge to vomit at the smell. "Fucking bastard," he growled. He floated into the air and did his best to shake the shit and piss from his clothing. "Kami, that's nasty." He searched for Sailor Moon's ki once more, and found it only a few hundred feet ahead of him.

Trunks waited patiently when a figure, much smaller than the first two, appeared several yards in front of him. "I take it you're the ring leader?"

"Guilty as charged, Golden Boy." The slight woman wiggled her fingers at him in greeting. "I'm Celeste, pleased to meet you. I must admit, I'm amazed that you took out my two best fighters so quickly. Your magic is strong."

Trunks smirked, and formed another ki ball in the palm of his hand. Damn it, these youma sure liked to hear themselves talk. "It's not magic, it's ki."

"Ki? Where in the hell did you learn to use ki?" The youma stared at him, horrified, and backed up a few steps.

"I'm a Saiyan prince, I've been using my ki to fight my whole life." He smiled dangerously, relishing the fear on his opponent's face.

"No, that race died out!" She shouted. "Some alien destroyed the whole planet decades ago, and there were no survivors!"

Trunks grinned slowly, and if he could have seen himself in a mirror, he would have sworn he was looking at his father right before the man was about to kill someone. "Yes, there were. My father was one of them." He flicked his wrist towards the youma, and smiled savagely when it screamed in pain and burned to death. He didn't even look twice as he walked past it to find the flickering ki ahead of him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Yaaaaaaaaaaa! Guess who's back? Back again? Kat is back... tell some men. Alright, sorry about the Ken Kaniff reference. ROF, I read your fic, and I like it! Please update soon, I want to see Rei fry something. Preferably Vegeta. :D Topaz! Wassup! I'll probably call and annoy the shit out of you as soon as I'm done posting this. More fun Trunks and Vegeta interaction, and even more in the next chapter, too. Vegeta's such a prick, lol. But I love him. Anyways, please give me some love and REVIEW! They make me squeal like a crackhead that's found their lighter!**

"_So, I finally get to meet that golden streak that's been blazing across the sky almost every night."_

_Stranger turned and growled at a figure standing in the shadows. His hand reached back to draw his sword, but before he could strike, the figure had vanished. He cast about mentally, searching for a ki signature, but found none. "Show yourself."_

"_Well, if you're not going to play nice, I'm hardly going to do any such thing," a soft voice chuckled. _

"_Who are you?" He slowly took his hand down from the hilt of his blade, and leaned back against the door that led to the roof. _

"_Sailor Moon." He could hear the smugness in her voice as she waited for his reaction. After several moments of silence, she obviously wasn't going to get one. "You?" She asked, the annoyance dripping from her voice._

"_I'm not too sure what to call myself. The papers have been using Golden Stranger and Golden Warrior." He stiffened as the figured moved, instinctively shifting his foot back for better balance just in case it attacked._

_Two perfect pink lips bloomed into a genuine smile, and crystal blue eyes sparkled with amusement at his reaction. "Now, really, is that any way to greet a friend, Stranger?"_

_He just stared at her for a moment, trying to gain control over the sudden way the Saiyan in him had leapt to the forefront. It was urging him to protect, claim, and mate, something it had never done once before in his life._

_His mouth settled into an easy grin when her smile faded at his reaction, as if she was a doe that had suddenly sensed a predator looking for supper. She took a hesitant step backwards. "What, Moon? I thought we were friends or something?" Stranger had to resist the urge to lick his lips as his eyes scanned over that perfect body._

"_Eh, maybe I made some sort of mistake," she said softly. "I should have listened to my friends when they told me stay away from you."_

_Stranger relaxed as best as he could, and once again leaned back against the door. "You wanted to know if I'd like to team up," he guessed._

_Sailor Moon halted her retreat, but discreetly checked him out before stepping back into the moonlight. God, he was just… yummy. That black tank top and those tight jeans did nothing to disguise the rippling muscles that they covered, and she had a sudden desire to run her fingertips down the length of his body, to feel those muscles jump against her hands. She didn't have a thing for blondes, but damn if she couldn't make an exception. _

_The moon princess rolled her eyes at herself and her raging hormones. No, damn it, she was just coming out of a very long and stormy relationship… again… and she was not going to catch some random guy on the rebound. Even if he was the most gorgeous creature she'd ever laid eyes on._

_She stepped back into the light slowly. "Yeah, if you're interested. I heard you took out those muggers in the park pretty easily. That's saying something, considering that they were armed."_

_He shrugged a heavily muscled shoulder as if it was nothing. "I just happened by, honestly. Heard a scream and checked it out."_

"_Well? Yes or no? I've got bigger fish to fry than standing around here and talking." She folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes when he shook his head._

"_Sorry, I don't play well with others."_

"_Asshole."_

_He looked over to retort with a biting remark, but she was already gone. "Women," he huffed. _

###########

Trunks wanted to cry out in rage and agony when he looked at the battered mess in front of him.

The blonde hair was so filthy that it was a nasty-looking brown, and her clothes were viciously torn in so many places that the remaining rags weren't even fit to be _called _rags. "Moon goddess," he breathed, and stroked a few strands of limp hair away from her broken and bloody face. "I'm going to get you out of here, I promise."

He pulled out the communicator, flipped it open, and studied the buttons. Four of them corresponded with the colors of the other girls' fukus, so he took a wild guess and pressed the blue one.

"Mercury here."

"It's me. I found her. I'm going to take her somewhere safe to recover…" His voice caught in his throat when he glanced at what had once been a gorgeous woman. "They fucked her over pretty badly."

"Understood. And Stranger… thank you," Mercury said softly, her voice thick with tears. "We trust that you'll take good care of her. Call us for anything."

Trunks shut the watch and shoved it back in his pocket before kneeling and carefully scooping the blonde into his arms. "Come on, Moon, let's blow this joint." He held her tightly as he flew through the sewers and blasted out of the nearest manhole cover.

Usagi relaxed against him. The state she was in couldn't even be called half-consciousness, but the nightmare she was having shifted into another dream about him, and she felt safe and loved as his ki warmed her.

####################

_He was on patrol five nights later when he heard the police over the scanner in his pocket, saying something about a bank robbery in the Juubaan district, and headed straight for the mentioned address. _

_Stranger wasn't surprised to find her already there, fighting off two men with guns. What he was surprised to see, though, was a man coming out from behind the counter with a bomb strapped to his chest. "DOWN!" He screamed at her, and moved to draw his sword._

_It all happened so fast, he'd had to dissect everything motion by motion later on. Stranger had seen the man move his hand to the cord on his vest, and the determination in his eyes told him that this was anything but an ordinary robbery. This was an assassination attempt on Sailor Moon. _

_That foreign entity rose up inside of him again, commanding him to protect the blonde that was fighting ferociously in the bank lobby, oblivious to her own impending doom. He moved so quickly, that later on he was positive that he'd nearly ascended to level two in the heat of the moment. _

_His blade flashed through the throats of both of her attackers, and he dove on top of her just as the bomb went off, sending shards of shrapnel flying through the air, followed by smoke and debris. He'd thankfully used his ki to shield them just after the bomb went off, so he was pretty much unscathed. "You really need to pay better attention to your surroundings," he huffed._

"_I was a little busy," she ground out angrily, trying her very best to ignore the warm, hard muscles under her hands that were just begging her to stroke them. _

"_Are you hurt?" He quickly climbed off of her, since feeling those soft, delicious curves beneath him was far too much a temptation._

_Sailor Moon shrugged as he helped her to her feet, and grimaced in pain when she stood. "Fuck me running," she sputtered, as she looked down. Two pieces of shrapnel were sticking out of her thigh, but they didn't seem to be buried deep. "I've had worse," she said quickly. "Don't worry about it."_

_Stranger snorted and scooped her up without hesitation. "Come on, we'll get this bound. Besides, we should split before the cops show up."_

_Sailor Moon nodded reluctantly. "Agreed. The five-oh is the last thing I need right now. Thank God the bank was closed, otherwise there would have been casualties." She clung to him when he took off into the air and carried her to the rooftop where she'd first found him. _

_She winced when he sat her down on the cold concrete, jarring her leg slightly. "I don't think they hit anything vital," she said in a dismissive tone. She couldn't help but stiffen a little when his warm, calloused hand touched the inside of her thigh, just beside the biggest piece of metal._

"_I'm not going to hurt you," he huffed impatiently._

"_I know that," she said, trying to sound argumentative. She could feel her face heating up as those callouses moved along her skin to examine the second piece. "Just do it," she said quickly. "Hell, it can't hurt much worse than getting a bullet removed."_

"_When did you get shot?" He asked in surprise._

"_Last year, in the calf. A friend of mine removed it for me. She's awesome at things like that. And since I'm—" She shrugged, not wanting to give away too much information. "Let's just say that I don't scar very easily." She pointed to the barely noticeable indent in her other leg. "See?"_

"_Kami, that looks like it could be a chickenpox scar, it's so small." He looked up to the metal sticking out her leg, the blood dripping down her flawless skin. "Alright. You ready?"_

_Sailor Moon nodded, sighed, and lay back on the cold floor. _

"_Hold still," he warned. He slid the first piece out, and was impressed when she didn't make a noise. Her eyes simply squeezed shut against the pain, and her teeth came down on her bottom lip. "Good job. Next one." He pulled it out carefully, laid it with its brother, and stripped his tank top. _

_Sailor Moon stared at the definition of his bare, scar-covered chest as he used his shirt to dress her wound. Damn, she was never washing her thigh again. She started when he turned a little and she caught sight of blood on his back. "You're injured," she snapped._

_Stranger shrugged. "It's honestly nothing. My kind heal quickly; it'll be gone by tomorrow."_

"_Nonsense. I can heal it, turn around," she ordered._

"_Then why don't you heal your leg?"_

"_It doesn't work on me, dumbass. I can't heal myself, but I can heal others without a problem. Turn around," she insisted._

_He complied with a huff, and showed her his bare back. Several tiny pieces of metal were imbedded in it, but they hadn't gotten further than the skin, thanks to his ki shield. He shivered when her fingertips brushed over the affected areas, and closed his eyes in surrender. Kami, he'd let her heal a hangnail if it meant she'd touch him like that. _

_Stranger gave a little noise of pleasure when her hands grew more confident, moving over the muscles of his back, as a healing light flooded his senses. It was like a magical massage was running through his nerve endings, relaxing every tension in his body. _

"_You'll be alright," she said with a smile. "It's a side effect. Sometime s I wish I could experience it, I've heard from a lot of people that it's very relaxing."_

"_I owe you a full-body massage, then," he growled pleasantly, drifting along in an ocean of light and relaxation. "Because that's what it feels like." Stranger blinked when her hands pulled away, suddenly shy. He turned to see her blushing, and patted her on the shoulder. "I didn't mean anything by it."_

"_I know, sorry. It's just… I have a sort-of- boyfriend, you know?" Was that a flicker of jealousy in his eyes? No, that was stupid of her to even think that. He'd saved her life, yeah, but other than their first encounter, she'd known him all of two hours._

"_Sort-of?" He asked with amusement. _

"_Eh, sorry." She fluffed one of her pigtails absently in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. I shouldn't talk about anything personal, it could give away who I am."_

From that moment on, they never spoke of anything personal, except for tastes in movies and music, anything that was really harmless, and would never reveal their secret identities. Sailor Moon chatted about her classes on occasion, and wasn't surprised to find out that he was extremely intelligent. Not only was he smart, but like Ami, he never picked on her for her lack of skills in math. In fact, he offered to tutor her between responding to distress calls.

It would have been an amusing sight for anyone if they'd come up the stairs to that rooftop, to see the Golden Warrior and Sailor Moon, poring over math textbooks and study guides, with the latter of the two balancing a pencil under her nose. They only took breaks to eat, and to respond to calls on the scanner, leaving the books and papers lying out under the stars with rocks on top of them to keep them from flying away.

_###############_

Turning west, he ascended to level three for the sake of haste, and headed for to the lakeside cabin that his mother owned, but was rarely used by anyone but himself and his father. He shoved the door open roughly, and thanked Kami that it wasn't locked. They never bothered to lock it, since there was nothing to steal. It had running water and electricity, but other than that and a couple of beds, he and Vegeta didn't need any extra amenities.

He immediately placed his goddess in his own bed, with a ki shield beneath her to protect the bedding, and stripped her down. He threw the dirty rags that had once been her clothing in the trash can and covered her with a bit of his ki to keep her warm while he left the room to hunt down a senzu.

He searched the drawers frantically for a senzu bean, but there were none to be found. "Guess I took the last one when dad beat the shit out of me. Damn it." He slammed the drawer so hard that it broke. He swore creatively in Saiyan while he dug his cell phone out of his jacket, and called the last person he wanted to at that moment.

"What! It had better be good to call this early in the morning, brat." Vegeta wasn't about to tell his son that he'd been up waiting on his call. He'd felt Trunks' ki flare to Super Saiyan three, and had put two and two together when he didn't see any moonlight out the window. So he'd slipped out of bed, found his cellphone, and crept downstairs so that the call wouldn't wake his mate.

"I need your help, Dad." Trunks said quietly.

Vegeta grunted on the other line, signifying that he was listening. He threw on some clothes while his son paused so he could speak without his voice cracking.

"I found her, but she's… Dad, she's hurt bad. I need a senzu bean. I'm at the cabin."

Vegeta grunted one more time, and hung up before grabbing the bag and the senzu beans he'd left out on the counter just in case.

Trunks closed his eyes and thanked Kami that his father would take the time to come to his rescue. He let out a rush of breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when he felt a ki flare several miles away. "Thank you, Father," he sighed.

Vegeta had gone level two so he could really put on the speed, which showed Trunks more than anything how much his father cared. He met him at the door, and gave him a shaky smile.

"How bad?"

"She's still unconscious. Broken ribs, concussion, broken leg, lacerations to the face and chest, whip marks on her back and legs…" the list went on and on until Trunks thought he couldn't take it anymore.

Vegeta frowned deeply. "You need me to…?"

Trunks quickly shook his head in refusal. No one was looking at her but him, not while she was naked, and not while she was in her current state. Moon would be embarrassed enough if—no, he told himself, _not _if. _When _she woke.

The Prince of all Saiyans expertly hid his pleasure at the sight of his son's protectiveness. The boy had it bad, no doubt. He'd bet Bulma sexual favors for a month that Trunks would be mated in the next week, and he knew now that he was going to win that bet. No doubt about it.

Vegeta pulled a bag from his shoulder and shoved it roughly into his son's hands. "Some of your sister's clothing. I thought you might need it, and they should be about the same size." He gave his son's arm a squeeze before placing several senzu in his hands. "Give her one now, and one when she wakes. Put the rest in the drawer for the next time you decide to talk back to me." He gave his son a quick smirk before taking off towards home.

Trunks hurried inside and immediately placed a bean in her mouth. "Come on," he urged. He sighed with relief when her wounds began to close and her bruises slowly began to fade. "Come on, goddess, let's get you cleaned up." He scooped her back into his arms and took her to the tub, now that she was finally beginning to heal, and powered up again just in case she woke.

Her eyes cracked open halfway while he was washing her hair, and she smiled at him weakly. "Hey, Stranger."

Trunks immediately looked down to meet her glassy eyes, and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. How long had he waited to hear her say those words? "Hey, beautiful."

"Dreaming, aren't I?" She slurred. "I've had this dream before."

"No, Moon, it's not a dream. It's real. You're safe," he said softly.

"Course I am. You're here." Her eyes slipped shut again, but the peaceful smile remained on her face while Trunks rinsed her, dried her, and carried her back to the bed. He tucked her in, stripped to his skin, and headed back to the bathroom.

He powered down and got in the shower, scrubbing himself with unnatural speed. He was clean in a minute flat. He dried himself with his ki once he could no longer smell piss and shit, and headed back to check on his goddess.

Thank Kami, she was sleeping soundly. He climbed into the bed next to her and powered up once again just in case she woke. It wouldn't do to have her wake up to find a man she didn't recognize snuggled up against her.

She shivered, so he pulled her to him and used his ki to warm her. The smile on her face was completely worth his efforts. He stayed awake, listening to her breathe, needing to reassure himself that she was going to be alright, before he finally dozed off with her in his arms.

###################

Usagi cringed at the blinding daylight coming in through the window, and quickly snapped her eyes shut again. Sweet Selene, the sewer was bright. What were those bastards doing to her now? Trying to torture her with sleep deprivation? Her only solace throughout her entire captivity had been the fact that she'd slept in between the beatings and interrogations.

She breathed deeply, just in case one of her captors was present and hadn't noticed that she'd woken. Huh… that was funny. She didn't smell shit. The odor had been her constant companion for the last seven days, and she had gotten so used to it that this new scent was completely foreign to her. She breathed in again, and smelled… clean air. And something woodsy, wonderful, and… very male.

No, it was a dream, just like all the others. She was through giving into false hopes. No one was coming for her, and this was some sort of cruel trick that the enemy was playing in order to destroy what little resolve she had left. But… how would the youma be able to conjure up such a convincing illusion? There was a solid, warm chest beneath her head, rising and falling, and the sound of a steady heartbeat. A strong arm was curled around her tightly, holding her against the side of an equally strong, muscular body.

Sailor Moon curled her arm around the waist of whoever was lying beside her and refused to open her eyes. No, he _hadn't_ come for her. She'd dreamed of it so many times that to believe it, and then to have it taken away from her yet again… she'd die from the loss.

Maybe she was dead. _God, finally. If I am, that's alright. _Maybe this was Heaven. That thought sat ok with her. If she was dead and in some version of Heaven, then the dream would never end. She'd never be woken from Stranger's embrace by pain and cruelty; she'd just lie there forever and let him hold her.

#################

_Stranger was worried. Sailor Moon hadn't shown up the night before, and while he knew that she had a real life (though not much of one), they had made plans to study for a big exam coming up. _

_They had moved their study sessions to a sparse apartment that he'd acquired just for the winter, so she wouldn't freeze her ass off out on the rooftop. He could warm her with his ki, but that required sitting a lot closer to her than he was comfortable with. _

_Stranger had realized a few weeks before that he wanted her. His father had mentioned something about Saiyan hormones, and he had asked a few nonchalant, offhand questions about how a male Saiyan reacted to a woman. His father's explanation had been unnerving, but hopefully Vegeta hadn't noticed his surprise and worry. _

_Apparently what he was feeling towards her wasn't just a strong attraction. It was the aggressive Saiyan nature finally coming out of him, urging him to claim her as his mate. So, he could no longer sit close to her, for fear that he would do something retarded, and she would either try and kick his ass, or worse… hate him forever. _

_He was broken out of his thoughts when the door opened, and the subject of his thoughts walked in, dumping a backpack on the threadbare carpet. He frowned deeply when she finally looked up at him, and felt a rage boiling up inside of him that he couldn't explain. _

_She'd been crying, and it was obvious that it hadn't been a short bout of weeping, either. "What happened." It wasn't a question._

"_It's not important," she said quietly. Sailor Moon sat down Indian style and cracked open her math book. "Where were we?" She asked, fighting to keep her tone upbeat, as if she hadn't been sobbing for the last thirty-six hours._

"_I was asking you what happened," he said flatly._

"_I meant two nights ago, Stranger." Her tone held a warning, a command to drop the subject. _

_He stretched out, lying back on the floor with his hands behind his head. "Look, Moon, I have all fucking night, and I'm not helping you a damned bit until you tell me why your eyes are red and it looks like you haven't slept in two days." Stranger glanced up when he heard her make a noise so soft that only Saiyan ears could have heard it. "Moon?"_

_He pulled at the math book that was covering her face from his sight, and sighed guiltily before drawing her into his arms. "Don't cry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Moon, I should have just dropped the subject."_

"_He broke up with me," she breathed softly against his chest. "Six years, and he just flushed it all down the toilet for some bitch in America that he met at university." Sailor Moon felt strangely comforted when his arms tightened in anger like steel bands, and his ki flared slightly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be burdening you with my problems. No personal information, right?"_

"_This is different," he growled in response. "Tell me who he is, and I'll go kill him right now."_

_Sailor Moon gasped in surprise as she looked up at him. The way his jaw was clenching spoke of a rage she'd only seen when they were fighting off bad guys. "No, Stranger, I don't want him to die. I wish him happy," she added in defeat._

"_He's a fucking idiot."_

"_Yeah, I'll agree with you on that one," she said bitterly. She tried to laugh, but it only came out as another helpless sob. "I hate him so much."_

"_Well, that's better than loving him, I guess. A douchebag like that doesn't deserve your love." But damn it, _**he**_ did. That was the precise moment that Stranger realized he was in love with her, whether he liked it or not. Kami, it was a fine fucking time to find out. It would take a real prick to confess his feelings in the wake of a brutal break-up, and he was not going to be another asshole ruining this woman's life. _

_He pulled out a capsule and tossed it on the floor, and a cot appeared out of nowhere. "Come on, I remember promising you something about six months ago."_

"_Huh?" _

_He scooped her up and laid her down on the cot. "Flip onto your stomach. The muscles in your back are as taught as guitar strings." He huffed with impatience when she didn't do as he asked. "You trust me right?" A flicker of a smile played at his lips when she nodded with hesitation. _

"_Alright." Sailor Moon rolled over onto her stomach and let him position her arms above her head, out of the way. She opened her mouth to ask what he was going to do, but a soft moan escaped instead. His hands- those large, calloused hands that she'd been waiting to touch her for months—were moving over her back, expertly applying pressure in all of the right places. She melted at his touch, and felt her eyes growing heavy as they moved to her shoulders. _

_Stranger bit down on his bottom lip for control when she gave another soft, sexy moan. Oh Kami, maybe this was a bad idea. That sound made him think of others ways to make her moan, made him think of hot sex and sweat, of her legs wrapped around his waist. _

_His hands and his jaw went slack when he felt a familiar silver light flooding his senses, relaxing him all the way to the bone. "You doing that on purpose?" He mumbled._

"_Hmmm?" She asked sleepily. "Oh, sorry." She cut off the light and smiled gently. "Sometimes that happens when I get too relaxed. Hasn't happened in a long time." She didn't add that it hadn't happened with Mamoru in years._


	4. Chapter 3

**Wow, still only the 2 reviews from ROF and Topaz? Jesus Christ, either this section really IS dead, or no one likes my fic. If you do happen to read it, however, I would really appreciate a review, just a quick note to let me know how I'm doing. Or even a PM; I don't NEED a review, I just want some feedback. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter... I know Topaz will be VERY happy with it! **

Trunks' eyes snapped open at the sound of sobbing, and he quickly looked down at the bundle of blonde tucked against his side. Her face was pressed tightly against him, and she was obviously making an effort to stay quiet. His other arm wrapped around her, and he hushed her when she jumped and gave a little yelp of fear. "It's ok, beautiful. I've got you. You're safe. You're safe." He chanted it over and over like a mantra as she wept and clung to him like she was terrified that he'd suddenly vanish.

"You came for me," she choked. "You really came for me."

"Of course I did. The moment I knew what had happened, I hunted you down and killed those bastards. They're dead now, Moon, they can't hurt you." He kissed her forehead tenderly when she only continued to cry.

"I—I dreamt that you came, Stranger. So many times that I lost count. But then I'd wake up when they started to—" She vigorously shook her head, unable to describe the whippings and the beatings. "The dreams… they were the only thing that kept me alive, I think. I'd make myself go back to sleep just to see you again, and it kept me going. In the end… I was ready to accept death, just as long as I could die dreaming." She clung to him tightly then, afraid that she'd wake up at any moment. "I—this isn't another dream, is it? Please tell me it's real. I keep waiting for you to disappear."

Trunks buried his face in her hair and ran his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion. He could feel the welts from where they'd whipped her, and it made his jaw clench in fury. There wasn't a single square inch of her back that they hadn't marred, and it would definitely take a second senzu bean to finish the healing. "I'm here," he assured her. "And I'm not going anywhere, I swear it. They'll never touch you again."

Her tears finally ebbed, but when he tried to separate from her, she yanked him back against her. Her hands shook from the strain of the action. "No, don't go, Stranger. Please don't go."

"Shh, Moon, it's alright. It's just… I kind of have to piss."

She finally opened her eyes just a little, and was greeted by the smart-ass smirk that she had so often wanted to smack right off his face. Right then, she wanted to kiss it. Her trembling fingers reached up and traced his face before brushing against his spiky golden hair. Usagi released her grip on him and nodded. "Please don't be gone long." She laid back down and shut her eyes as he slipped out from under the covers, and listened to his footsteps as he walked down the hallway. She heard a door open, a toilet lid raise, and then… wow, he really **did **have to pee.

It seemed like a century, but he eventually returned to the bedside. "You gotta go, too, Moon?"

Usagi nodded weakly and sat up to slide out of the bed, her eyes still closed against the glaring light. When his arms went around her, she pushed him away. "I've got it," she insisted, her voice full of fragile pride. She would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't caught her with the superhuman speed she'd witnessed countless times. "Stranger, I've got it," she insisted, and tried to stand on her own.

Trunks growled low in his throat, and scooped her up against his chest. "No, you don't, woman. That broken leg still isn't completely healed, and neither are the muscles in your back. And you're definitely not going to find your way in an unfamiliar place with your eyes closed."

"I've been in the pitch black for a week," she snapped. Her voice still sounded as weak as a newborn kitten's, though. "My eyes… they hurt from the light." She huffed when he sat her down on the toilet, and suddenly realized that she was naked. Like she was going to actually worry about that; shit, she'd been pretty much nude for six days, since the whippings started. She used the bathroom once he'd stepped out to give her some privacy, but he was at her side the moment she tried to stand.

"I swear, woman, if you get hurt again, I'll slap you silly," he warned.

"Promises, promises," she huffed indignantly. "I'm not helpless, you know."

"Well, at least you're starting to sound like yourself again," he grumbled.

He carried her back to the bed and slid in beside her. "Cold?" He asked, when she began to shake. All of the annoyance was gone from his voice that quickly, and he pulled her tightly against him.

"Please don't tell me that you're naked, too," she said softly. That sure felt like a bare thigh pressed against her. She fought against the urge to rub herself against him. God, this _had_ to be a dream. She'd had this dream, too, before she'd been captured. Hell, she'd had it _while _she'd been captured.

Sailor Moon could hear the smirk in his voice when he answered. "Fine, I won't." He snorted with laughter when she stiffened against him. "You act like you've never seen a naked man."

"I haven't," she said meekly. "Much less woken up beside one."

"Well, then." He couldn't keep the grin off of his face when she drew away from him shyly.

Sailor Moon jumped when both of their stomachs growled at the same time, just as she was getting warm again. "Hungry?" His voice asked pleasantly.

"Yeah," she admitted. Sweet Selene, how long had it been since she'd eaten? Seven days? Eight? "I don't suppose you have any food here. Wherever 'here' is."

"I'll be back in a moment," he said gently, pleased when she didn't try to climb out of the bed again.

She helped him when he returned and moved to assist her in sitting up in the bed, then suddenly grabbed at the sheet and clutched it to her bare chest. Ok, she'd been naked for six days, but this was _Stranger_. "I don't suppose you have a t-shirt and some underwear?" Usagi asked just a little shyly.

"Moon, seriously? I bathed you last night, treated your wounds, and slept beside you. Trust me, I've seen everything there is to see." He smiled smugly when she turned crimson. "Look, let's get some food in you first, then I'll see about finding you some clothes. Though… I have to admit, I'd prefer looking at you as you are," he added, with an obvious edge to his voice. If that wasn't a hint, he didn't know what was. He set up the tray when she blushed impossibly deeper, and moved to close the blinds before sitting beside her. "Open your eyes," he said gently.

Crystal blue orbs cracked open carefully, and squinted at him. Her vision swam with tears when she saw his face, and she suddenly forgot her nudity as she dove into his arms. "I keep trying to convince myself that it's some sort of trick that they're playing on me. That at any minute, you're going to disappear, and they'll be there again, laughing at me. Ready to beat me again. Stranger… if this isn't real… I think I'll die this time. I couldn't possibly survive it."

He wanted to prove to her that it was real, and finally show her how he felt at the same time, but she was so damned vulnerable. _Next time_, he told himself. _Next time_.

The Saiyan in him rose up suddenly, like some sort of tiny devil perched on his shoulder. _Next time?_ It asked. _Seriously? Fuck __**that**__. Now. _

Unable to resist temptation any longer, Trunks bent his head to hers and kissed her, tipping her back to give his mouth better access to hers. He moaned when she opened to him and her tongue stroked his without hesitation. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep his hands from wandering below her waist, to finish what he was starting right then. Kami, he wanted her.

He broke away slowly, once he had kissed her thoroughly, and grinned at her shocked expression. "Real enough for you?"

"No," she replied breathlessly. "Now I _know _it's a dream."

"Maybe I should just punch you, then," he teased. His eyes watched as her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, and he suddenly had to taste her again.

Usagi was much more responsive when his lips pressed against hers for a second time, now that she wasn't so shocked that she could hardly move. Her hands fluttered against his chest, finally caressing the tan skin that was brushing against her own, setting fires inside of her that she didn't even know how to put out.

Her good leg hooked around him, and she found herself wanting him, pressing tightly against the warm body that she'd been admiring for a year. She smiled shakily when he pulled away with obvious reluctance, but even she had to admit that she wasn't up to much more than kissing at the moment. "Do you know how long I've wanted you to do that?"

"Probably not as long as I have," he purred. Stranger drew back, and tugged the sheet into place where his hands had shoved it out of the way. "Time to get some food in you," he said, trying for a light tone.

She didn't even protest when he filled a plate of food for her from a tray and handed it to her. "Eat this first, Moon." She opened her mouth when he held a bean to her lips, and chewed it and swallowed. "It's a senzu bean," he stated, before she could even ask. "I gave you one last night, that's why you've nearly mended."

Sailor Moon turned her head when she heard a cell phone. "You want to get that?"

Trunks nodded reluctantly. He'd know that ringtone anywhere, even though he rarely ever heard it. "It's my father. He brought the senzu beans and some stuff for you to wear last night." He slipped out of the bed again, and missed her flush of embarrassment when she saw him in all of his male glory. Hot damn, that man was sex on a stick.

Trunks scooped the phone off the desk and took the call. "Yeah, dad." He frowned and nodded. "Yeah, she just woke up…" He shot her a look and pointed at her plate. "Eat, woman, don't just stare." He grinned when he realized just _what _she was staring at. "That's dessert, Moon. Eat all your dinner first." His grin became lecherous when she blushed and gaped at him in surprise.

She snorted with amusement when he suddenly turned red. "No!" He yelled indignantly into the phone. "Kami, Father, she just woke up! And frankly, that's hardly any of your business anyway!" He rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Yes, if you really must know… good, at least you're satisfied about something… No, I think we're good. Yeah, dad, I'll call you if we need anything." He paused, and sighed. "Father… thank you. I mean it."

Trunks strode back to the bed as he hung up the phone and sat down. He shot his goddess a commanding look, and nodded with satisfaction when she began to tear into her food like a lioness at a wildebeest. Trunks refilled her plate without comment every time she emptied it, while he dug into his own meal. He wanted to laugh when he realized she was matching him plate for plate, but didn't want to embarrass her. `

Finally, after what seemed like days, she shook her head when he offered her more, and leaned back against the pillows with a sigh of contentment. Her eyes slipped shut, and a happy smile tugged at her lips. "Tsukino Usagi."

Trunks grinned. "Finally, a name. I thought I was gonna have to beat it out of you."

"What about you?" Those blue eyes cracked open slowly as she waited for him to answer. When he frowned, she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No, you don't have to tell me, Stranger. I completely understand. The only ones that know about me are the girls and the asshole, and now… you."

"The asshole?" Trunks frowned even harder. "Don't tell me you're back with him again?" Kami, if she was, he was calling her Senshi, demanding the man's identity… and then he was going hunting.

"**No," **she said with finality. "If he doesn't want me, fine. I've been over him since shortly after he called it quits for good." She sighed. "I should have had the balls to call it quits myself, years ago, but there was this whole prophecy, and the destiny card was always hanging over my head." She shook her head. "Fuck destiny, and fuck Tuxedo Mask."

"Oh, the gay cape-boy. No wonder you got over him quickly." Trunks chuckled when she managed a tiny grin. A muffled beep made them both look up.

"Is that my communicator?" Usagi asked. She tried to climb out of the bed, but found herself dragged right back into it.

"Stay put," Trunks ordered sternly. He had that pissed off look on his face again, and Usagi was simply too weak to argue with it. He dug in his pants for the watch and tossed it to her.

Usagi's hands shook as she opened it and gazed into Mercury's deep blue eyes. "Ami-chan…" she choked. She wiped at the sudden tears in her eyes, and wished to God she could hug her friend.

"Usa," Ami replied warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still healing, and I'm weak from not eating for eight days, but other than that… Stranger's here, he's been taking care of me. Is everyone safe? The… the youma… they told me you all had been killed."

"They lied," Ami said flatly. "But there are more of them. How long until you're on your feet again?"

"No!" Trunks shouted, and yanked the watch out of her hands. "You listen to me, Blue. I'll take care of whatever this threat is, but we're leaving Usagi out of it. They fucking tortured her, and I'll be damned if I let her put herself in danger while she's still recovering."

"Stranger, I understand, and we completely accept your offer to help, but we need our princess. We simply can't fight without her, and the youma made their presence known early this morning. They're demanding to see her."

"How strong are they?"

"A lot stronger than the ones that kidnapped Usagi," Ami admitted. "About ten times stronger." She stared at him when a sinister smile bloomed on his face. "You can handle that?" She asked incredulously.

"Probably. And I have friends. As soon as Usagi is healed, we'll come back, and bring reinforcements." He laughed to himself for a moment. "My dad's been itching for a good fight. Killing something will make him _very _happy." He grinned when Ami just stared at him, a hint of fear in her eyes, and closed the watch. He looked over to his goddess, and smiled. "So, you're a princess?" There was another thing that was going to make his father very happy.

Usagi nodded and shrugged. "Not much of one, frankly. I'm clumsy as hell and have a fucking potty mouth."

Trunks laughed. "This only makes it funnier, but… I'm a prince." He laughed harder when she snorted in disbelief. "No, really. My father's the crown prince of Vegeta-sai, and since I'm his son, I'm of the royal line."

"I'm the Lunarian princess. The other girls are royalty too, each from their own planet. According to the prophecies, I'm supposed to be queen one day. But since Mamoru wanted to be the eternal asshole…" She left it at that, unwilling to dwell on him while she was in Stranger's presence. Usagi self-consciously tugged her sheet back up when he sat down and took her hand. She cleared her throat slowly. "So, how about those clothes?"

"Hm, I don't know, beautiful. What do I get?" Trunks grinned when she blushed.

"What do you want?" She asked nervously.

"You," he growled, without hesitation. He was through with being subtle and timid, that had gotten him nowhere in the last year. "But I'll settle for a kiss. I've been craving one for over an hour." He pulled her to him when she gave a tiny nod, and captured her mouth with his own before she could react.

Usagi found herself gasping with pleasure when his hand rose up to cup her face, and the other hand began to wander beneath the sheet that covered her. She moved against him without even thinking about it, and a little noise of frustration escaped her lips when he suddenly pulled away.

"No," he said heavily. "When you're healed." They both looked down at the same time. Trunks rolled his eyes in frustration, and Usagi simply stared and blushed. Damn, that thing was huge.

Her lips were suddenly dry again, and she licked them. She didn't see the way his eyes traced the motion. "You don't have to stop," she said softly.

"Kami, woman. Do you have any clue what you're doing to me?" The Saiyan in him was awfully confused at the moment. It was screaming at him to protect her, while insisting that he claim her at the same time.

Usagi quickly looked away and blushed. "No, sorry." She smiled as her eyes flicked back over him. "But to be fair, Stranger, _you _kissed me, not the other way around."

"You have a point," he grumbled. Trunks closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headboard while he waited for his erection to deflate.

"So, what's your dad do?" She asked conversationally.

"He's a warrior. The fiercest warrior on the planet," Trunks said with a touch of pride.

"Son Goku!" Usagi exclaimed. "Sorry," she said quickly, when he sputtered and frowned. Usagi didn't know it, but if Vegeta had been there, he would have backhanded her without hesitation. "Not Son Goku, then. Ok…" She'd been at the last world tournament, and surely his father had to have been there if he was as Stranger claimed him to be. "Look at me for a moment," she said softly.

Trunks turned his head and let her study his face. He scowled at the fact that she'd thought Goku was his father.

Usagi chuckled; the scowl answered her question. "God, I should have guessed. You look just like him." She smiled after putting names to faces in her head, making family connections, and finally laid a hand on his chest. "You know, I saw you fight in the last tournament, too, and I thought you gave your dad a run for his money… Trunks." She smiled at the feel of his name on her lips, and knew she'd get used to it with time, but she would always think of him as "Stranger."

"Yeah, but Father and I were at the same level of strength. We can't ascend at the tournaments. It's a rule among my kind."

"Ascend? You mean the blonde hair and the green eyes?" She asked curiously.

He sighed, and nodded before powering down. No sense in keeping up pretenses. He smirked when she studied him with a smile on her face, and obviously checked him out. "Like what you see?"

"I'd be a lesbian if I didn't," she admitted. Her hand was still on his chest, and it trailed down the rippling muscles. She smiled when he groaned with pleasure and stood at attention once again. She grinned as she thought of Haruka and Michiru. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, two of my guardians are sleeping with each other." Usagi slowly pulled her hand away just as it dipped below his belly button, and brought it back up to run through his shoulder-length lavender hair. "I didn't think it'd be so soft," she admitted.

"That's the _only_ thing that's soft right now, woman."

She didn't even blush, she just looked down appreciatively at what he had to offer, while her hand absently ran through his hair, along his shoulder, and up his neck. When she looked back up, he was watching her intensely.

Trunks didn't even have time to react before she leaned up and kissed him, while using the hand at the back of his neck to pull him down on top of her. He was amazed when she matched his aggression as he returned the kiss, and growled against her when her fingers started to wander below his waist. "No," he barely managed, snatching up both of her arms and pinning them above her head with a single hand.

She gasped with pleasure when his free hand began to wander beneath the sheet, while his mouth caressed her throat. "Trunks," she moaned. "Please."

His mouth fastened to her breast just as his fingers slid between her legs, and he nearly lost his grip on her wrists when she rocked against him. "Hold still," he growled, "or I'll stop."

Usagi whimpered when her body urged her to move against his hand in a desperate attempt to find some release. He was teasing her, stroking her slowly, making her burn from the inside out with need. "Please," she begged.

Trunks drug his lips up to her ear and nipped at the lobe before twirling his tongue around it. "Now you finally know what you do to me, Moon. Every time I see you running around in that short skirt, every time I've carried you through the air, every time you've hugged or kissed me like a friend… or worse." He shuddered. "Like a brother." When he looked up at her, he expected to see sadness, or guilt, or even humor… but the rage flashing in her eyes was completely unexpected.

"Stranger, I've been attracted to you for a _year_. I've been head over fucking heels _in love _with you for six months! All those hugs and kisses on the cheek! Those were hints, you stupid, thick-headed, BOY!" She snarled right back at him when he growled at her, and tried to free her hands so she could punch him, but he was holding her down tightly.

Usagi decided to use words to hit him just as hard as her fists could. "I do this to you, Stranger? What in the hell do you think you've been doing to me, huh? I haven't teased you one damned bit! You could have had me six months ago if you'd only taken a single fucking hint that I'd dropped! I even asked you out for coffee last week and you turned me down with some lame-ass excuse!" She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Now, get your fucking hands off of me, asshole."

Trunks' eyes narrowed as he considered her words. Damn it, she was right; put into context, she _had _been trying to hint that she cared for him, but he'd simply been too chickenshit to make a move. Wait just a fucking minute. She loved him? "I'm sorry."

"Let me go, Stranger," she ordered softly. She squeezed her eyes shut when angry tears threatened to spill down her face. "Now."

"No," he whispered, and bent his head to nuzzle her throat. His fingers began their gentle assault once more, only this time, they weren't teasing.

"Stranger," she whimpered. "Let me go."

"No," he repeated tenderly. "Come for me, beautiful."

Usagi's hips lifted when his mouth slanted over hers, and it was nothing she expected. The kiss was soft, gentle, coaxing her to accept his touch, but she was having none of that. She turned her head and shook it from side to side. "Let me go. I offered myself to you, and you accused me of being a cocktease, Stranger."

"I'll let you go when you come for me, Moon." His mouth was at her throat, tasting her porcelain skin while his fingers moved a little faster, a little harder. "I love you, and I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Usagi felt a little flutter in her chest when he finally confessed his feelings for her, and those three words broke her resolve faster than any apology ever could have. His lips covered hers, and she returned the kiss when his tongue stroked its way inside of her mouth. His fingers were making her delirious with pleasure, and she found herself spiraling upwards suddenly, breathing heavily… "Oh my God," she moaned.

Trunks bit down on her shoulder just as she came, not quite hard enough the break the skin, but close. The Saiyan in him rose to the forefront again, this time demanding that he claim her, no excuses. The primal side of him needn't have worried; she wasn't going to put up a fight.

She whimpered against him as he kept stroking her, sending little shockwaves of pleasure running through her body. "Stranger, please." She was begging again, despite it all. "Make love to me." She raised her hips in invitation when she felt him nod against her neck, as he moved into position to finally claim her for his own.

Her hands were suddenly free and tangling in his hair, as the hand that had pinned them was trailing down her body to slide under her and lift her against him.

He froze when she stiffened for just a moment, then forced herself to relax. "I'm fine," she insisted. "Please, Stranger, don't stop."

Trunks' eyes narrowed, and he watched her carefully as he gripped her hips and lifted them slightly. She didn't grimace this time, she had schooled her features well enough to keep from flinching. But the pain was in her eyes, just a flicker of it. "You're still hurt." It wasn't quite a growl; it was something much angrier than that.

Usagi went limp against the bed in frustration. "It doesn't hurt that bad. What do you think's going to happen, anyway, Stranger? I'm a virgin, it's going to hurt."

"Yes, but that only hurts for a minute, Moon. Your leg is still knitting; I won't have you in pain the entire time." He sighed and rested his head on her chest when she sputtered in vulgar Japanese. "When you're healed, Moon."

"Fine," she ground between her teeth. It took her several moments before she could get her hormones under control and look at him without wanting to wrap her legs around his waist. "Can I at least—"

"_No_," he groaned, knowing exactly what she was going to suggest. "If you touch me… Kami, woman, I really might wind up hurting you."

Usagi nodded in disappointment. "Well, then I guess I could do this." She smiled in amusement when he suddenly groaned with pleasure and relaxed against her as she flooded him with her healing light. "Is that making it better or worse?" She asked curiously.

"Better," he murmured against her breast. "Much better. It feels like everything's melted into pudding."

"Hm, I'm glad. Can't do it for long, though, my powers are still too weak," she admitted.

"Stop, then," he ordered, trying for an authoritative tone. It only sounded like another little rumble of ecstasy. "You need all of your strength to heal."

Usagi let the light fade gradually as she ran her fingers lightly up and down his back. God, she just couldn't stop wanting to touch him; the man was simply magnetic, and his presence seemed to wash away the horror of her captivity.

Her arms stayed wrapped around him when he tried to pull away. "Just a minute longer," she whispered. "I feel safe when you're holding me."

"You're safe, Usa. I swear it." Trunks felt her grip on him relax, and he rose up on his elbows to look at her. She was scared again. He'd seen a flicker of fear in her eyes on and off since she'd awoken, but now it was as raw as it had been when she'd first opened them. "They won't take you again. Not only will I be there, but my father and some of my friends will be, too. And my father is a lot stronger than me.

"Now," he continued, "it's time for you to get some damned clothes on. If I have to look at you naked for another moment, I'm going to fuck you unconscious." He slid out of the bed and pulled on his jeans before he did something stupid.

Trunks upended the bag his father had brought, and groaned as he plopped on the floor, swearing creatively in Saiyan. "Fucking smartass! Kami, he's such a pervert!" He ground through his teeth. He dug through the pile of nasty lingerie and ignored Usagi's laughter. He found some food capsules and pocketed them gratefully before continuing his search.

Finally, he scooped up his phone and furiously dialed. "I'd really appreciate some _clothes _for her, dad," he snapped into the phone. "No, dad, those aren't clothes! They _barely _qualify as underwear! Bring her some clothes that she could go out in public with, please. Without getting arrested for indecent exposure," he hissed. "Wha—no! That's none of your damned business anyways!" He yelled.

Trunks glared at Usagi, who was laughing hysterically at his part of the conversation. "It's not funny, Usagi!" He snarled in frustration at his father, who was now chuckling in his other ear. "I'll call you back," he said flatly, and hung up the phone. "You think this is funny?" He snapped at the naked blonde.

"I'm sorry!" She laughed. "It's just, the look on your face!" She giggled uncontrollably when he scowled at her. "I'm sorry, Trunks, I really am." She managed to get herself under control, and smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "So, I take it your father…?" Usagi looked pointedly at the pile on the floor.

"Yeah. Hang on, I've got an idea. If he has a problem with your scent in his clothing, he'll get the fuck over it." Trunks stomped to his father's room, but turned right back around before opening any drawers. No, he'd be damned if he'd let her wear clothing that had another man's scent on it.

"Well?"

"No." Trunks shook his head fiercely. "You can't smell like him, it would make me crazy." He opened his own closet and pawed through what few pieces of clothing he had. He finally pulled out a button-down shirt that was a little tight on him, and handed it to her.

"Smell? You mean, you can actually smell whoever's been wearing something?" She asked incredulously.

Trunks nodded. "Like I told you, I'm a prince of Vegeta-sai. Our race, the Saiyans, have heightened senses." He raked his gaze over her as she lowered the sheet. "And we tend to get violent when our women smell like other men."

Usagi shivered at his possessive tone. "Your women? You have many?"

Trunks smirked at the hint of jealousy in her voice. "Just you. And don't you dare say you aren't, Usagi." He felt a little better when she shrugged on his shirt and buttoned it up; it came to her knees, and effectively covered any temptation. "You're mine," he said softly. He crawled onto the bed and let himself bury his face in her hair, now that they both had clothes on. Her scent was somehow arousing and comforting at the same time, and he could smell himself all over her, which assured the Saiyan in him that she was, in fact, his.

Usagi made a little noise in the back of her throat when his mouth pressed against her pulse. It was soft at first, but his teeth quickly followed and nipped at her. "Trunks…"

"No. When you're healed," he mumbled. "Then I'll claim you."

"Claim me?" She blushed a little when he looked up at her, his eyes glazed with hunger. And every drop of it was for her.

Trunks sat up and separated himself from her for her own safety. "The Saiyans… we mate for life. We usually know who we want right away, like I did. Sometimes, though, it takes a while for them to form a bond. Like my mom and my dad." He made sure she was paying attention before he spoke again. "I'm glad I didn't claim you yet. My father never told my mother ahead of time, and from what I hear, the argument lasted for months. Usagi, once I take you, you're my mate. For life. There's no such thing as divorce among my people."

Her eyes widened at his words, but she found herself nodding slowly. Her expression softened as he awaited her decision. "You won't make me quit fighting, will you?"

Trunks shook his head. "Never. If anything, I'll train you. My father will likely help, but I warn you that he doesn't tolerate whining or complaining. He'll coldcock you if he thinks you're slacking."

"Is that where all your scars came from?" She asked.

He snorted with humor. "A few of them, yeah. Don't look so disgusted, Moon. Dad's got a couple from me, too." He pointed to scars as he named their inflictors. "My friend Goten. Goten again. Dad. Gohan, which surprised me, honestly. Goku. Dad. Dad. Goten, Goten, Goten… huh. I think that one was Goten, too."

Usagi giggled. "Sounds like Goten's a handful."

Trunks looked smug, and scooted next to her on the bed. "He's got more scars from me than I have from him." He looked at her sharply when she yawned. "You should rest. You're still tired."

She rolled her eyes, but laid back down to placate him. "I'll take a nap if you stay with me," she offered. She flushed with pleasure when he immediately pulled her to him. Usagi laid her head on his chest, and wrapped her arm around his waist. One of her legs moved over to tangle with his.

"Comfortable?" He asked dryly.

She nodded and closed her eyes, the picture of contentment. Sweet Selene, she'd never felt safer in her whole life than she did right then. His hands stroked her hair absently while he took some time to think, and she dozed off quickly to the sound of his heartbeat.

"You're doing it again," he chuckled.

"Mmm… sorry," she mumbled, and roused just enough to cut the silver light off before going back to sleep.

Trunks dozed lightly, comforted by the scent of her hair just under his chin, and the utter relaxation coursing through him. He snapped awake awhile later when she shook and mumbled something. "What, Usa?" He ran his fingers through her hair when she groaned and cried out softly. "Usa." He bent his head and brushed his lips against hers. "You're safe," he whispered. "I've got you, beautiful, and I'll rip off the hand that ever touches you again," he growled.

Her frown lines smoothed out at the sound of his voice, and she smiled. "Stranger," she sighed. The way she said his name sounded like a caress, like a promise.

He kissed her again, but pulled away when she tried to return it. "Sleep, Usa. I'll watch over you."

##############################

Trunks slipped out of the bed once he was sure she was deep asleep, and walked outside with his phone in hand. He put it on speaker as he dialed his father and hunted for a signal. Ironically, there was one in his bedroom, but he was hard-pressed to find one outside.

"You get laid yet, boy?" Vegeta asked the moment he picked up the phone.

"No, Father," Trunks said with a roll of his eyes.

"Watch the tone, brat. Get back in there and fuck her brains out. It's past time you took a mate."

"When she's healed, dad," Trunks sighed. He smiled when his father just grunted. Vegeta knew all too well how demanding and protective a male Saiyan could be when his woman was injured. "I almost claimed her a little while ago," he admitted, "but she winces every time she moves that leg. It was a bad break… her back's still healing, too. Look, the real reason I called… I was just wondering… how much would you like to get into a real fight?"

Vegeta grinned evilly on the other end of the line. "When and where, boy."

"I'll call you back later with details. Apparently these bastards aren't done terrorizing her, and I thought you may want to join in on the fun. No point in me hogging all the glory."

"I'm in. You know, boy, if she ate that first senzu right after I dropped them off, and you followed my instructions to give her the second as soon as she was conscious… she _should_ be healed by now. It doesn't make sense that her leg and back are still injured."

"Dad, you didn't see her before the first senzu. Her back… I've never seen anything like it. There wasn't an inch of skin on it that hadn't been flayed, and most of the muscles were damaged beyond human medicine... maybe even the regen tank. I'm amazed she's alive."

"I hope you killed those bastards slowly," he growled. Vegeta hadn't even met her yet, and he was already feeling protective. Any woman that was dazzling enough to ensnare his son was something special.

"I wish I had. I was in a hurry to find her… she was nearly dead when I finally did." Trunks shook his head. "I shouldn't have assumed, Father. I should have went and looked for her after she missed the first night of patrol."

"You didn't know." If Trunks could have seen his father, he would have seen his eyes soften in sympathy for just a moment. "You've got her now, so make it count. Carpe diem and all that human bullshit."

"Actually, Dad, I recall you saying once that carpe diem sounded an awful lot like a Saiyan concept," Trunks snorted.

"Don't get smart with me, boy," Vegeta warned him softly.

"Bye, dad," he chuckled, and hung up the phone. He shoved it in his pocket and went back inside to eat some more and curl up next to his mate. Well, she wasn't his mate yet, but she might as well have been.

When he was finished grubbing, he laid down and smiled when she resumed the position they'd been laying in before he'd gotten up, as if it was an old habit. "Mine," he whispered softly. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes to join her in slumber.


	5. Chapter 4

**Well, yall, I started class on Wednesday, and there is so much fucking homework that I want to cry. Good thing I've already written this entire fic, lol. Well, almost all of it. Topaz, you're awesome, and I have more to add to your spank bank, sugar. Enjoy! And if any of readers like this fic even a little bit, I'd really appreciate a review.**

When he woke, it was dark, and Usagi was still sleeping. He slowly unbuttoned her shirt to check her wounds, and sighed with relief when he saw that she'd healed in her sleep. His fingers traced the new pink skin on her back in wonder. There were hardly any scars, and the few that were present—where the worst of the damage had been—were pale, white, and faded. If he hadn't seen it himself, he would have never believed how much damage she'd suffered to the skin and muscle.

Usagi blinked and shifted as the movement woke her. She smiled and stopped his hand when he started to button her shirt back up, then gently pushed it under the cloth to cover her breast.

"Kami, Usa." He shook from the sheer effort it took not to take her offer.

The moon princess sat up slowly and slipped the shirt back onto the sheets. "Trunks, I want you. All of you." She placed both of her hands on his shoulders, and leaned in to brush her lips against his. The gentle kiss quickly became hot and raw as he returned it greedily, devouring her mouth with his own. He pushed her back down to the mattress, and felt his resolve break when her hips lifted against his.

"Moon," he purred against her throat. "You'd better be sure about this."

"I'm yours," she gasped, when his mouth bent to worship her breast. "Please don't stop this time," she begged. Her hands fumbled at his zipper, and she growled in frustration when it wouldn't cooperate.

"Patience," he chuckled against her, as he trailed his mouth back up to her throat. "You'll get it soon enough." He grinned when her mouth clamped down on his shoulder aggressively and she drug her nails down his back.

"You have no clue how many nights I've dreamed about this, Stranger." She moaned when he quickly unfastened his jeans and pressed against her. Her legs instantly went around his waist, and she raised her hips in surrender.

Trunks hesitated for a moment. What about foreplay? Didn't women like that? Then he realized that they had all night for foreplay. Right now, they both needed this, and neither of them had the simple restraint required for slow lovemaking.

He pressed against her, and wasn't surprised to find her ready for him. "Sometimes dreams come true," he growled against her throat. The Saiyan in him took over as he thrust forward and bit down on her shoulder just hard enough to draw blood. "Mine."

Usagi flinched and whimpered with pain, but moved her hips against him in encouragement when he froze. "I'm alright, Trunks," she breathed against his ear. He pressed onward, lapping at her bleeding shoulder while he slowly filled her. She moaned when his fingers dug into her hips and he covered her mouth with his own, and was gasping for more when he pulled away. "Please."

He flexed his hips slowly as he watched her for the slightest indication that he was hurting her. "How does it feel?"

Usagi shook her head and smiled. "It doesn't hurt."

"It's supposed to feel good for you, too," he grumbled. "I knew I should have done some foreplay." His grumble became a grunt of pleasure when she moved against him.

She gave him a sultry smile and pulled him down for a kiss as her hips moved in a slow, seductive rhythm that he wasted no time in matching. Her head rolled back and she gave a soft moan when his mouth covered her breast again and he thrust against her roughly. "Trunks," she gasped.

He growled possessively and drove a little faster, a little harder, and was rewarded with a moan of pleasure. "That's right, beautiful. Come for me."

Usagi's nails dug into his back as she stiffened against him and shattered. She whimpered when he wasted no time in taking her up again, and rather than reaching her climax, it felt like a small nuclear bomb had went off inside of her. Her entire body shook as she met him thrust for thrust. "God, Trunks," she whispered breathlessly.

Trunks nibbled where he'd marked her as he followed her over the edge and gave one last groan of ecstasy. "Usa… Kami." His mouth slanted over hers and he kissed her long and slow, stroking his tongue softly against hers. He rested his forehead against her heartbeat and closed his eyes in contentment. "Mine," he purred.

"Yours."

#################

Vegeta smiled, but only because no one could see it. The vision of loveliness that his sleeping son was wrapped around was even more than he could have hoped for, and the angry-looking mark on her shoulder only made his smile grow impossibly bigger. Apparently he'd bitten her there more than once during the course of the night. That was a good thing. The more he bit her, the stronger the bond. He felt a flicker of annoyance to see that the girl hadn't bitten his son in return, but since she wasn't Saiyan, she didn't know any better. As her bond to him strengthened, she would eventually feel the urge to do so, and things would take care of themselves in the long run.

His smile turned into his trademark smirk when his son stirred a little and the girl turned to snuggle into his embrace.

"Well, looks like you finally grew a pair, Trunks."

Trunks' eyes snapped open and he snarled a warning at the intruder who was smirking down at him.

Vegeta held up his hands in a gesture of peace and backed away slowly. He didn't want to kill his son, and that's what it would come to if Trunks decided that his father was trying to steal or harm his mate.

The lavender-haired Saiyan pulled his woman tightly to him and made sure she was covered. "Get out," he warned.

Vegeta nodded his head once and left the room silently. He smiled with pride when he stepped outside into the cool morning air.

He waited quietly for thirty minutes for his son to join him, knowing that the boy would want to give his new mate a proper wake-up. Vegeta squeezed his shoulder with a hint of affection when he stepped onto the porch, reeking of his woman.

"Sorry," Trunks grumbled.

"No, you're not," Vegeta chuckled. "I brought her some real clothes, boy. Here." He handed his son a new pack.

"Too late, I dressed in Trunks' clothes," Usagi said softly from behind them. "But thank you," she added brightly. "I'll shower and change later." She set a tray down on the porch and handed each of them a cup of coffee before taking a sip of her own.

Vegeta nodded with approval as he studied his son's mate. She blushed and pushed her ankle-length blonde hair back from her heart-shaped face. It was messy for obvious reasons, but it only made her look even more gorgeous. "Well, at least my son inherited my good taste," he grunted. He took a swallow of the coffee, and hid a smile. "_And _she knows how to make a decent cup of coffee."

Usagi shrugged, flushing with pleasure. "I just assumed you and Trunks took it the same way," she admitted.

"Strong and biting, like our women?" Trunks asked, referring to his mother. Though truth be told, Trunks had a few of his own bruises to show off.

"I prefer mine ground up and in the freezer," Vegeta muttered. He had to hide another smile against his mug when Usagi's laughter rang out through the woods, clear and pure. Oh, his boy sure had good taste. If he hadn't been mated already, he would have scooped this girl up before his son had had a chance to even touch her.

Trunks grinned when he saw his father hide that tiny, rare smile. Vegeta liked her. That was a good start. A very good start. He leaned back to kiss his mate soundly, and only broke away when his father cleared his throat impatiently.

"Plenty of time for that later, brat. Tell me what we're going up against."

Trunks shrugged. "Youma, according to Usa's guardians. My experience with them didn't leave me the least bit impressed. They have no defenses against ki-based attacks."

Usagi studied Trunks and Vegeta. She'd seen her mate shift from joking to serious before, when they'd fought side by side in the city, but it was interesting to watch the two of them do it simultaneously. Trunks definitely got his personality from his father.

"I thought you were a warrior, girl," Vegeta snorted. His approval of her rose when she lifted her chin defiantly and glared at him.

"I am. But I can only use my magical attacks when I'm Sailor Moon. They attacked me while I was leaving my school. And frankly, their magic was almost as strong as mine is. Even if I had been in uniform, it would have been a very close fight."

"We're teaching you how to fight with your ki as soon as this is all over," Vegeta grunted. "No daughter of mine is going to be an easy target, understand?"

Usagi just smirked and nodded. Good, she was looking forward to the training. She drained her cup and took theirs to refill them before reentering the house.

"I like her, boy."

"I can tell. Just wait till you see her in action. She doesn't fight like us, but for someone that doesn't use ki, she kicks some serious ass."

They both folded their arms over their chests and gave each other identical looks. "You're not letting her go into the fight are you?"

Trunks nodded. "I'll protect her."

Vegeta frowned with disapproval. "You'll protect her best by leaving her here."

"And you won't lure out the youma without me," Usagi interrupted. She handed Vegeta his coffee with a hint of annoyance. "They want the Lunarian princess. So, let's give her to them." She kissed Trunks softly as she gave him his mug.

This vision of loveliness was a princess, too? Vegeta raised a single obsidian brow in surprise. Well, well, this just got better and better. His son, married to another royal line.

In his own mind, he was also married to royalty. If money equaled power, his mate was a fucking queen. And in a world where everyone was scraping for the newest technology, his mate's family ruled this pitiful little planet with ease. Wait a damned minute. "You said you're Lunarian, girl? They were wiped out centuries ago."

"My mother, Queen Serenity, sent myself and my court to Earth to be reincarnated. She used the Silver Crystal." She smiled when Vegeta's eyes lit up with recognition.

Vegeta set down his cup and motioned for her to turn around. "Let me see your back, girl."

Usagi rolled her eyes at Trunks when stepped between them and growled possessively. "Stranger, this is your dad, for Selene's sake. Shut **up**."

"I'd listen to your mate, boy. You can't fight me and hope to win. I just want to look at her back, that's all." He looked to his daughter-in-law. "How's the leg?"

She flexed it and shrugged. "A tad sore, but it'll be alright by tonight. It's a far cry from what it was when Stranger found me." Usagi hiked up the rear of her shirt to bare her back to the shoulders, and pretended she didn't hear Vegeta's soft, sharp intake of breath.

"If you're really a Lunarian, the damage they must have done to you, woman… Kami…" Vegeta lightly traced the scars, which were pale, but visible in the sunlight. If someone had done this to Bulma… God, his fury would have known no bounds.

As if sensing his father's thoughts, Trunks laid a hand on his father's shoulder. "They would have never gotten past you, Father. Or me, had I been there."

Vegeta nodded, schooling his features once more as he probed the creamy skin of Usagi's back. "Does it still hurt?"

"No, Vegeta-san. A little tender, but not painful." She gratefully let him lower her shirt back into place before turning to face him. "The power of the Silver Crystal will fade the scars over time, I'm sure."

"Oh, that reminds me, Usa." Trunks slipped his hand into his pocket and handed her the compact that Jupiter had given him, thankful for a change of subject.

Vegeta studied the compact carefully, sensing the power inside of it. "That's the Crystal, isn't it? My nurse read me stories about it when I was still a brat."

Usagi graciously opened it, but held it in a way that clearly said 'look, but don't touch.'

The Saiyan prince nodded, satisfied, and Usagi closed her locket. "I'll bet you don't even know how to use its full power yet."

Usagi shook her head sadly. "Still working on that, I'm afraid. Sometimes it works on its own, though, in times of desperation. Mars has been working with me, teaching me how to focus and meditate... when Jupiter's not beating the shit out of me during a sparring session," she mumbled. She looked down at her locket. "I had an idea while I was inside. We should take the fight somewhere that's outside the city. I don't want civilians to get hurt, and it'll give us a chance to scope out the battle sight first. We'll have that extra edge if the youma are stronger than we expected."

Vegeta grunted his approval. She had a head for battle, this girl. "I know a good place."

Trunks grinned savagely and nodded. "How do you plan on luring them there?"

Usagi grinned, and held up her locket. "Cosmic Moon Power!" There was a flash of light, some brief nudity, and a flurry of ribbons before she stood in front of them as Sailor Moon. She looked up at the sky and smiled slowly as the full moon appeared above them. "That should send a message. Now… hopefully they'll see it."

Trunks jumped a little when something in his pocket beeped. "I think that's for you, beautiful." He handed over the communicator.

"Hey, Mars."

"What are you doing!" Rei's voice raged at her. "Every youma that's landed is already hunting for you, and you just pointed a fucking neon arrow at your head, you stupid bitch! We're supposed to be protecting you, not handing you over on a silver platter! Where the fuck is Golden Boy, huh! Isn't he supposed to be guarding you!"

Usagi cleared her throat and rolled her eyes at Vegeta. He looked like he was close to laughing. "Are you finished, Rei-chan? Or was there something else you wanted to add to that?" She continued when there was several seconds of silence. "I'm sending a message."

"What kind of message?" Mars asked patiently. The bitter confidence in her leader's voice made her regain control over her temper.

Usagi smiled ferociously. "Come out and play. Let the others know what's going on, I'm detransforming. I want to send a message, not an immediate invitation." She placed her hand over her locket, and with another flurry of ribbons and nudity, she was standing there dressed in Trunks' shirt and jeans, her hair loose and tousled. "So, you brought me clothes? I think I'm gonna go shower and change." She gratefully took the bag from her mate, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Vegeta's cheek. "Just so you know… I'm keeping that nasty-looking lingerie, so don't even think about getting it back." She grinned and winked at her mate before heading back inside.

Vegeta felt that rare smile creeping over his mouth once again. "I'll be back in a few hours, brat."

Trunks looked back inside with an expression of longing. "Didn't you want to go over a strategy or something?"

"Boy, go enjoy your mate," Vegeta snorted. "An announcement that a woman is going to shower is a clear invitation… especially when it's followed by a comment about nasty lingerie."

"Really." Trunks could learn a lot from his father, it seemed. "In that case, see you later," he said with a grin. He didn't even wait for his father to leave before he followed Usagi inside.

###################

Bulma jumped when Vegeta grabbed her from behind and scooped her into his arms. "What the hell do you think you're doing, monkey man!" She shouted. "I'm working on something!"

Vegeta yanked the wrench from her hand, threw it on the floor, and kissed her fiercely.

"Oh, _well_. What was that for?" She asked breathlessly, once he'd finally pulled away.

"Our son has a mate, woman."

Bulma's eyes got as wide as saucers, and she smacked his shoulder. "You are so full of shit!"

Vegeta just grinned. "She's also stunning. And a princess. And you owe me head every night for the next month."

Oh, shit, she was hoping he'd forgotten about that little wager. Yeah, right. Vegeta never forgot _anything_. "I don't suppose I'll get anything in return," she grumbled.

"Hn… You know what? I'm in a good mood, woman." He slung her over his shoulder and blasted up to their bedroom, dumped her on the bed without any ceremony, and stood over her with his arms crossed. "I suppose I could reciprocate this once," he said with a grin.

##################

Usagi dressed slowly, knowing that Trunks was watching her every move.

"Usa, you'd better get those clothes on before I rip them off again," he growled. He was already growing hard for the fourth time in two hours, just from watching her seductive little show.

She grinned and shrugged the skirt on over her underwear before slipping on a bra. "Hook me?" She asked sweetly.

Trunks caught her hair in one hand and pulled it to the side before doing as he was asked. He nipped at the back of her neck and was pleased to see goose bumps rise on her creamy skin. He sighed with longing as he put his own clothes back on, and wished that they had time for another round. But no, his father would likely be back at any moment. In fact… "Speak of the devil," he muttered to himself.

"What?"

Trunks pointed to the east. "My father."

"Teach me how to do that, it could come in handy." Usagi crossed her arms over her chest and waited patiently.

"Ok… well, you need to find your own ki, first. Close your eyes, and imagine a fire inside of you. It should be there, way down deep."

Usagi smiled when she found the silver flames, and nodded. "Ok."

"Keep your eyes closed." Trunks flared his ki a little, and grinned when she jumped.

She opened her eyes and smiled. "That was so cool. I saw these blue flames and—hey! It's outside the door, too! That must be your dad!" She flew to the door and swung it open. "I found your ki!" She squealed. "Trunks just showed me how to do it, and I sensed you at the door!"

Vegeta flinched when she hugged him, and gave his son a confused look. "You mean he _just _taught you, and you figured it out that fast?"

Trunks shrugged. "She's a fast learner." He jerked his mate away from his father and kissed her. "Dad doesn't do physical contact," he said with a touch of humor.

"Well, it's a good thing that _you _don't have a problem with it," Usagi laughed. She jumped into Trunks' arms and wiggled against him with glee. "Teach me how to blow shit up," she said with a mischievous grin. Usagi glanced at Vegeta and gave him a soft smile. "Sorry, I didn't know. I'm used to hugging people when I'm happy."

Vegeta shrugged, as if to tell her it didn't matter. "Show her how to flare her ki first, brat. That's something she can use in the battle if she needs help. It should also boost her strength and speed." He stepped out into the yard and waited for them to join him.

"Alright, beautiful. Close your eyes again, and find your ki. Got it?" He waited for her to nod. "Alright, now make the fire bigger. As big as you can get it, and stop when it starts to burn your skin."

Vegeta smirked as he listened to his son use the exact same words that he had used to teach him nearly twenty years ago, albeit with a softer and far more patient tone. He nodded with approval when Usagi's ki signature rose, and silver flames erupted around her. "Stop right there, girl," he said firmly, when sweat beaded on her forehead and she grimaced in pain.

"That's enough, Usa," Trunks agreed. "See the fire going down, back to the size it was when you started." He let out a sigh of relief when her ki flames died out. "Now, flare it up quickly and then drop it back down."

Vegeta smirked with pride when his son's mate followed the instructions effortlessly. "She _is _a quick study."

"I have a good teacher. Good teachers," she amended. "I'm pretty sure I know who taught Trunks." Her head snapped up and she looked to the west. "Who's that?"

Trunks and Vegeta both frowned at the quickly approaching ki signatures. "They're friends," Trunks answered with a touch of annoyance. "They probably felt your ki flare, and since they don't know you, they're coming to investigate." Both father and son flared their kis suddenly, sending a message that everything was fine.

"Wow. How do I get mine to do that?" Usagi asked with envy. Those ki flames were huge, but she knew very well, after seeing Trunks fight, that the level of strength she was seeing was merely a drop in the bucket compared to what either of them were capable of.

"Practice, girl. Over time, and once you learn how to properly use your birthright, you could be as strong as Trunks," Vegeta replied.

Trunks jumped between the Sons and his mate when they landed right in front of her, and growled low in his throat. If they had gotten any closer, they would have been touching her, and the Saiyan in him saw that as a threat.

"Whoa, Trunks, it's ok." Goku knew of only one reason for a male Saiyan to act like that, and quickly held up his hands and backed up a few steps. He jerked his sons backwards as well, and held them in place when they tried to struggle. "Unless you boys want to fight with Trunks to the death, I suggest you stop it," he warned softly.

"Why?" Goten asked with annoyance. "She's just a girl, dad."

"She's _mine_," Trunks snarled ferociously.

Usagi wrapped an arm around her mate's waist and whispered something in his ear that made him focus his attention on her, rather than the newcomers. Vegeta smirked at the exchange with pride. This girl had a good head on her shoulders; she'd just successfully distracted his son from a battle, and that was no easy task. The Prince of all Saiyans exchanged a look and a nod with his rival.

"I guess congratulations are in order?" Goku asked pleasantly.

Usagi and Trunks both looked up, one smiling and the other scowling suspiciously. "Stranger, they're friends, aren't they?" She asked softly. "I'd like to meet them, if that's alright with you."

Gohan and Goten both grinned ecstatically. Only one person in the entire world called Trunks "Stranger." "So, we finally get to meet the famous Sailor Moon," Goten said brightly. "No wonder you're being such a jackass, you've had a crush on her for forever." He grinned even wider when Trunks turned his head to give her a slow, passionate kiss. "Well then, I guess the feeling was mutual."

"I'm yours, Trunks," Usagi said softly. "Now let me meet your friends, ok?" She nipped at his shoulder when he didn't move. "Well?"

"You can meet them just fine from where you're standing," he replied possessively.

"Well, aren't you just being rude," Usagi chuckled.

"He's being a Saiyan," Vegeta grunted.

Trunks shot his father a grateful look, but Usagi was confused. "You don't have a problem with me being around your father, Stranger."

"He's my sire, and he's mated," Trunks grunted, sounding very much like the man they were talking about. "Gohan and Goten aren't."

The two black-haired hybrids both grinned and looked like they were having a hard time not laughing at the exchange. "It's alright, Trunks," Goten said with a wink. "I'd be a little selfish, too, if I were in your shoes. You want us to piss off?"

"No!" Usagi said quickly. "You guys fight with ki, too. Trunks, they can help," she said quickly. She moved around to face him, her blue eyes serious and haunted. "Please, Trunks. The more we have, the better. I don't want what happened to me… it can't happen again. Not to anyone." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she ran her fingers through his hair. "And you have to promise me something." She rested her forehead against his when he nodded. "You won't let them take me alive."

Her fingers pressed against his lips when he opened his mouth to hotly protest. "No, Stranger. I don't think it'll come to that, but if they do manage to take me, and you can't get me back before they get away, I want you to kill me. I won't be held captive and tortured again. You… you'd kill me kindly. They wouldn't."

The other Saiyans politely pretended not to have heard her request, since she'd made it obvious by whispering that it was for her mate's ears only. Trunks shot them all a look over her shoulder that clearly told them to keep their mouths shut on the matter, and they all nodded.

Usagi wiped at the tears in her eyes before turning back around. "Minna, gomen nasai. Watashi wa Usagi-chan." She held out her hand to shake with everyone, but quickly drew it back and snorted with amusement when Trunks started to growl again. "Ok then, no hand-shaking, I take it." Instead, she gave a respectful little bow of greeting, which all three of them returned.

"So, you're Sailor Moon." Goten was grinning ear-to-ear at finally getting the chance to meet his best friend's crush—er, mate. Just the fact that Trunks was mated was enough to make him ecstatic. "Wow, no wonder Trunks went on about you for hours."

Usagi blushed and smiled at the compliment. "Stranger never mentioned any of you," she chuckled. "Well, other than Vegeta," she added with a laugh. "I remember him moving a little slower than usual during a few fights, and his excuse was, 'I'm fine, my father just kicked my ass this morning.' The first time it happened, he had to convince me for an hour not to come out here and beat you senseless." She grinned at Vegeta when he hmphed.

"You would have gotten your ass handed to you, little girl," he said flatly.

"Hai, Otousan." She grinned when he puffed up just a little with pride at the title of father. "We can spar, though, when I'm at Trunks' level. Sound fair? Hm… well, nevermind. As long as that may take, you'll likely be too old to fight by then."

Vegeta visibly sputtered and glared at the Sons when they all laughed. Even Trunks was trying not to laugh at the sight of his mate baiting his father. "Too old to fight! Never, little girl! I'll kick your scrawny blonde ass into the dirt when I'm in my two hundreds!"

That broke the ice well enough for Trunks to let her work on her ki some more, without freaking out every time Gohan or Goten got close enough to touch her. Both of the unmated Sons took special care not to do that, under Goku's advice. Neither of them wanted to engage in a death match with their best friend.

"No, Usa, not like that!" Goku grumbled good-naturedly. They'd already moved on to flying, since she could easily produce, raise, and lower a sustainable ki. "Just… I don't know, tell your ki to move you around!"

"I can't!" She snapped. "You don't think that's what I've been trying to do for an hour!" She instantly blushed and gave a quick bow. "Gomen, Goku-san. I—I'm just getting frustrated. Everything else I've picked up so fast, but this has to be one of the most infuriating fucking things I've ever done," she growled.

"I think it's time for a break," Vegeta advised.

"It's only been an hour, Tousan!" She huffed. "I've trained longer than that with Makoto constantly beating the fuck out of me! This is a cakewalk!"

"Go get something to eat," he ordered gruffly. He glared at her until she went inside before turning to his son. "Go with her, brat. I'm sure you could use something to… eat… as well."

Trunks' lips twitched at what his father was obviously implying, and he rushed inside to join her.

The four Saiyans outside all looked towards the house when both Usagi's and Trunks' kis flared brightly in their minds' eyes, and sounds of shouting came from the kitchen. "Their first argument," Vegeta snorted. "Saw that coming from a mile away."

#############

As soon as Trunks saw her in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich, her words outside came flooding back. He closed the door behind him a little harder than necessary as he stalked towards her and shoved her up against the counter. "I won't kill you, Usa, no matter what you say."

She stiffened against him in anger. At first she'd melted into him, thinking that she knew what he wanted, but this was completely the opposite. "Trunks, think about it. If this youma is actually strong enough to take all of you on and successfully capture me, what are the odds that you'll be able to get me back?"

"I'd get you back," he snarled.

"And what if you couldn't?"

"I'd get you BACK!" He shouted. "No one is taking you; do you hear me, woman! You're mine! Or did you miss that!"

Usagi's eyes flashed dangerously when he raised his voice. She'd been willing to discuss this like adults, but now she was more than happy to wade right into the fucking mud. "So you'd have me tortured and beaten and starved to death? You'd have me lying naked in a pile of my own shit and piss, just like you found me before? Just to spare you the trauma of showing me some mercy?" She hissed, her voice so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"It won't happen!" He insisted. "I'll protect you, damn it! I'd give my fucking life for you, and you know it!"

"I know that, Stranger," she choked, her voice thick with tears. "I know you would, and I'll never doubt that. But that's not what I'm asking for."

Trunks wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her against him as she shook and sobbed into his shoulder. "Moon… I'll never let them take you again, I swear it. But if they do… Kami, if they do… I swear, I'll kill you if I can't save you. But know that I'll follow you in death."

She just nodded, too emotional for words. Usagi knew better than to argue with his last statement; just as he should have known better than to deny her the comfort of a quick death, should she be taken captive. Her mouth found his then, moving slowly at first up his jaw before claiming his lips.

Trunks returned her embrace roughly, before lifting her against him and onto the counter. Her underwear were gone in an instant, and they were both moaning desperately as he took her, hard and fast. He just barely held on long enough for her pleasure before he lost control, murmuring her name into her hair, whispering words of comfort, of his love for her.

Usagi clung to him when he tried to lower her to the floor. "No, just a moment longer," she said softly. She nuzzled her face into his chest and relaxed when he held her tightly. "I love you too, Stranger. I have for a long time."

"When this is all over… what do you want to do?" He asked gently.

"I'd like to keep fighting, if that's ok. But… as long as you're there, I think I'll be content with any lot in life. I guess… I wonder how the whole prophecy's going to work out, now that the baka's out of the picture." She managed a shaky grin when he growled at the mention of another man. "He was supposed to be my king consort when I ruled Crystal Tokyo in the future. But now…" She shrugged. "Obviously _that's_ not going to happen anymore. Thank the Mother."

Trunks jumped and looked down at her when she began laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"

"Oh my God! Just… can you just… oh God, I can't wait to see his face!" She cackled. Tears were rolling down her face again, but this time they weren't tears of despair.

Trunks chuckled as he lowered her to the floor. "I can't wait to see his face, either. The question is, should I rip it off of him for breaking your heart?"

"You'd repay a kindness with an injury, Stranger?" She asked slyly. "If he hadn't broken my heart, you wouldn't have been able to put it back together."

"True." He smirked as he traced her jawline with his finger, and kissed her tenderly. "I guess I owe him a favor, then," he grumbled. "Go get dressed, I'll fix us something to eat."

"Dressed? But I—oh." Usagi blushed when she realized her underwear were in shreds on the floor, and her skirt was no longer suitable to wear. She could repair it, but it had a few holes in it from where Trunks had bunched his hands in the fabric. "God, I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe at this rate."

"Good thing your fuku fixes itself, huh?" Trunks nearly shuddered at the thought of ripping that thing into tatters, and felt himself start to grow hard at the idea.

Usagi raised an eyebrow as she studied his face. "Stranger, you pervert! Have you harbored some sort of fantasy about tearing off my uniform?" The searing look he gave her as he nodded had her burning bright red. "W-Well," she stammered, "I'll see what I can do about that after the battle."

The moon princess rushed into the bedroom and fished a clean pair of underwear out of the bag that Vegeta had brought, shrugged them on, and discovered a pair of jeans that fit her perfectly. "Let's see him tear these up," she snickered.

"Don't tempt me, woman!" Trunks shouted from the kitchen.

"Unless you want everyone else to see me in my underwear, you'd do well to leave these alone!" She laughed. She stripped off the long-sleeved shirt she had on and yanked a tank top over her head. Much better. She had a feeling that these boys were going to train her hard enough to work up a sweat.

Trunks glanced over as she was trying to find a way to tie her hair back in a ponytail, and couldn't tear his eyes away from her. Those jeans… "Wow, Usa. I'm definitely sparing those, they make your ass look simply divine."

"It wasn't already?" She teased.

"Naked, most definitely." He reached out and cupped it, giving it a generous squeeze, before turning her and running his fingers through the spun gold of her hair. "Hold still, I'll fix this," he offered. He braided her impossibly long hair while she finished fixing a tray of food to take out to share with everyone, and tied it off with a piece of string. "Oh, shit, I nearly forgot."

Trunks pulled out a few more serving trays, and threw a few of the capsules on them that his father had brought. "There, that's easier than completely emptying the pantry." He spied her mark and something about it made him pull her to him and bite down on it just enough to reopen it.

Usagi yipped in pain until she felt his tongue rasp against the broken skin. Her eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy. "Why does that feel so damned good?" She mumbled. "You'd think it would hurt like hell, but it damn near makes me want to shove you to the floor."

"Dunno," he replied against her skin. "You'd have to ask my father or Goku."

"Speaking of which, they've been waiting pretty patiently."

"No," he growled, pulling her to him possessively.

"Stranger." She turned and nipped at his jawline. "We're not attacking tonight, are we? You'll have me all to yourself, all night long. Right now, though, I'd love it if you taught me how to fly."

"And if we are attacking tonight?" He pressed his hips against her dominantly and grinned when she gave a little gasp.

"I'm sure we can find some alone time right before the battle. Or right after it, if you'd like to shred my fuku," she added with a grin.

"Oh, that's a date, woman. Most definitely."

She picked up a tray and looked back at him as she seductively licked her lips.

"Woman, you better get that gorgeous ass outside before I change my mind," he warned her.

Usagi laughed the entire way out the door until she spotted four familiar faces, talking with the men waiting outside. "Minna…?" She whispered. If it hadn't been for Trunks catching the tray, it would have crashed to the ground.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey, yall! Sorry for the break between updates! I decided to drag this out for another chapter or two, just so I could fit the Senshi into the story a little more. Might as well. Other than that, the fic is finished and saved on my computer! WOO! Anyways, I have school for 2 more weeks, and I was on vacation the last 4 days, so there's my excuse. Besides work and 4 kids, of course. ;) And a very demanding husband… totally not complaining about that, though!**

The Inner Senshi turned and looked to their leader with tears in their eyes before piling on top of her and showering her with kisses. Rei was the first to finally pull away and hold her at arm's length to take a good look at her. "What's this, Usa?" She pointed at the fresh bite on her shoulder. "One of them said you were completely healed."

Usagi blushed, and glanced over at Trunks. "Minna, this is Trunks Briefs. He's my… mate." The word felt funny coming out of her mouth, but nothing else she could say would quite do the bond justice.

Trunks felt like he was on display with the way all four women were blatantly checking him out, eyeing everything from his hair and chiseled face, to his muscled legs, arms, and chest, to what so obviously bulged between his legs, even when it was soft. Kami, couldn't they be a little more discreet? While he appreciated the attention and the boost to his ego, it felt downright rude for them to do that right in front of his woman.

Usagi winked at him, however, clearly letting him know that she was fine with the way her friends were ogling him; after all, she was the one that was screaming his name at night, not them.

"Wait a minute," Makoto piped up, once she was finished appreciating the view, "where's Stranger, huh? Don't tell me he peaced out as soon as you were healed and left you with someone you didn't even know," she said angrily.

Trunks handed the tray to his father and immediately powered up to Super Saiyan.

"Oh," the brunette said meekly. "Nevermind, honey! Sorry!"

"It's alright," he said easily, and powered down. "It just means that the blonde hair's enough to throw anyone off. I wouldn't have known any of you by sight, either. Usa once explained the glamor you all use when you've transformed, and while ascending isn't the same thing, it certainly helps when one of us makes the decision to become a crime-fighter. Why Gohan had to put that gay-ass costume on is beyond me, though." He shot Gohan a mischievous grin when he felt him glaring at his back. "It's true, and you know it."

He pulled Usagi to him and kissed her slowly, intent on changing the subject before Gohan started yelling at him. "You ready to learn, beautiful?"

Usagi nodded excitedly, and immediately summoned the silver flames of her ki. She was more than a little pleased when her Senshi all gasped in surprise and looked equally impressed at this new development.

Vegeta stood and stepped forward. "Let me do this, Trunks," he offered. He huffed when his son placed himself firmly between him and his new daughter-in-law, and lowered his voice so only Saiyan ears could hear him. "You really want her to learn how to fly, boy? I'll teach her the same way I taught you. You could do it, but I'm sure you'd like to get laid tonight… or at some point in the next year."

Trunks' lips twitched up in a smirk at the thought of scaring the shit out of Usagi, but his father was right. He schooled his features before huffing with false annoyance and stepping out of the way. "Fine."

"Alright, girl, hang on," Vegeta advised. She'd barely gotten her hands around his neck before they were shooting through the air, and she was screaming her head off in a mix of exhilaration and mind-numbing terror.

Vegeta laughed at her command of swear words in both English and Japanese as she railed him mercilessly and called him everything in the book. And then some. He filed a few of her more creative curses away for future use, and finally stopped when they were so far up that they were in the clouds. "Ready, girl?"

"What the FUCK are you doing, Vegeta!" She screamed. "Can't we do this a little closer to the ground!" She wrapped her legs around his waist when he pretended to drop her just to make her squeal.

Damn, this girl was fun! "How did you learn to swim?" He asked gruffly.

"Huh? Well, Okassan just threw me in the pool—oh, no. Oh HELL no! You are not going to drop me!" She screamed.

"Don't worry, one of us will catch you if you freak out and can't make your ki lift you. Just fair warning, girl," Vegeta added with a grin, "If you fail, I'm taking you up even higher next time."

"Oh, I hate you so much right now," she moaned in terror. It took several moments to build up her courage well enough for her to speak again without her voice shaking. "Tell me what to do," she finally said.

"You're going to turn on your ki as soon as I let you go, and you're going to tell it to move up. Just direct it with your mind, girl." His expression softened a bit and he smiled. "You're smart, and brave, and you'll do just fine. Let go when you're ready." Vegeta released his grip on her and waited.

Usagi was tempted to look down, but squeezed her eyes shut instead. "Hai, Tousan. Here we go." She let go, and cracked her eyes open to see him darting past her towards the ground to catch her should she fail.

The Lunarian princess easily summoned her ki as she resisted the urge to scream her head off, instead shrieking at her ki in her mind. **Up, damn it, UP! I want to go up!** She felt herself closing in on Vegeta's ki, and yelled in frustration when his arms wrapped around her and they shot right back up into the sky. "Butt fucking son of a bitch! Go higher this time," she ordered, "I know I can do it!"

On the way up, she concentrated on his ki, and how it was moving as they rocketed into the air. The way it moved around him, the way it flared when he put on speed, the way it died down a little once they'd stopped.

Vegeta grinned with pride when she didn't even wait for him to let go of her. She shoved backwards off of him, a stubborn set to her jaw that seemed awfully familiar to him. He'd seen it in the mirror plenty of times to know it on sight.

Usagi flared her ki as high as she could get it, and concentrated on how Vegeta's had felt. "UP, YOU STUPID BITCH!" She raged at the world when she felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her once again, but they didn't take her back up. "AGAIN!" She ordered.

"Usa, look down," Trunks laughed.

She did as she was told, and squealed with delight at the sight of everyone on the ground waving at her excitedly. They weren't getting any closer to them. Usagi pushed her mate away and squealed some more in sheer excitement. She threw herself into Vegeta's arms and hugged him ecstatically when she flew down to join him. "Arigato, Tousan!" She shoved him away suddenly. "Wait a damn minute, you weren't going to fly back down to catch me?" She yelled.

Vegeta smirked and shrugged. "I had a good feeling that you'd get it the second time. I could feel you studying my ki on the way up."

"Oh. Well, then." She flared up her ki and flew at Trunks, tackling him in mid-air. "I think I got it down!" She shrieked, and shot into the sky on her own once she'd turned him loose. "Not fair!" She screamed, when he shot right past her with ease. She flared her ki up high enough to burn her, and poured on the speed.

She squealed when he suddenly came out of nowhere and tackled her, sending her speeding towards the ground. Usagi fought back with her ki and rocketed past him when he suddenly let her go, and homed in on Vegeta's ki to find her way back to the cabin. They were already miles away, they'd been flying so fast.

Vegeta reached out quickly and caught her when she lowered her ki too far while she tried to land, and nearly crashed to the dirt. "We'll work on the landing," he said with a smirk.

"Arigato, Tousan."

"Wait a second," Ami said, "he's Stranger's father? No offense, sir, but you only look a little older than your son."

"We're Saiyans," Goku said brightly. "Vegeta and I are in our fifties. We age differently than humans."

Vegeta nodded when the blue-haired girl studied them all with interest. "A Saiyan stays in his prime until about a year before he dies, and then he ages rapidly. We live for about three or four hundred years."

Ami nodded and smiled. "Same as us, basically."

"Wait, you girls aren't human, either?" Gohan exclaimed.

Ami shrugged. "I'm Mercurian."

"Martian."

"Jovian."

"Venusian."

Goku shook his head in wonder. This meant that there were four other women with long life spans that could be potential mates to Gohan, Goten, and any other sons that Chi-Chi and Bulma bore. Or Usagi, if it came to that. Apparently Vegeta was having the same thought, because they exchanged a look and a grin.

"Hey, Kakarot. You do realize that this means I've finally beat you in something? Not only did my brat take a mate to bed before one of yours did, but I'll likely get the first grandbrat, too."

Goku rolled his eyes. "Everything's a contest, isn't it?"

"Excuse me," Usagi broke in, "but who said anything about grandkids?" She huffed.

"Seemed inevitable, girl," Vegeta said with a shrug. His eyes twinkled with amusement when she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Whatever, Tousan." She looked up when she finally felt Trunks' ki above her. "So, are we doing this thing tonight, or tomorrow?"

All of her Senshi shrugged, but Venus was the one who stepped forward. "Since the moon appeared, there have been attacks all over the city. A youma appeared this afternoon, and said that if you valued the lives of everyone that was spared, you'd show yourself in the square at sunset. That's when we decided to simply track your communicator and come get you."

Usagi's back straightened as she regarded her protectors. So much for choosing the battlefield. "You've fought against them, so tell me, can they take on people fighting with ki?"

Rei nodded. "They're not like the last ones. And I can read ki. They're all at about Stranger's power level, give or take a little."

"Well, then, little girl," Vegeta laughed, "I think they're going to have their hands full! Kakarot?"

"Ready, Vegeta," Goku replied with a feral smile.

They both powered up straight to Super Saiyan 2, then pushed and screamed until they hit level 3. As if on cue, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks all went to level 2 without much effort, and grinned at the gaping Senshi. Sailor Mars was gaping even more than any of them. "Holy shit!" She yelled. "The five of you… wow! You'll totally blow them away!" She shook her head at Trunks in disbelief. "I should have guessed that you were only at a fraction of your power. It's not like it would take much to fight off bank robbers and muggers."

Trunks shrugged. "All of us can go higher. This is just easiest." He winked at Usagi before getting serious. "We're not doing this tonight. We'll send a messenger." He gave his mate a look when she opened her mouth to protest. "You're still recovering, as far as I'm concerned."

"I wasn't still recovering last night," she snapped.

"That was different, it wasn't a fight," he replied indignantly.

"God, the two of you bicker more than Usa and Rei," Minako sputtered. "Stranger's right," she said firmly. "Eat something, sit down, and relax. We'll come up with a plan. That's an order from the leader of the Inners, Hime. I suggest you follow it."

The princess rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, sitting down next to Goku, who was already making her a plate. She accepted it gratefully, but didn't hide an annoyed glare when her mate sat down beside her.

Usagi didn't speak again until her eighth plate of food, while they were debating who to send. "Send Tousan," she suggested with her mouth full. "He's strong enough to handle anything, and intimidating enough that the youma will likely accept our terms."

Trunks shot her a questioning look, and she huffed with impatience. "He can also control his temper where I'm concerned. I won't have you flying in, getting pissed, and trying to fight all of them by yourself."

"Vegeta! Control his temper!" Goku barked out in a harsh laugh. His sons quickly joined him, they'd been trying not to laugh, but their father's giggles sent them into a bout of hysterics.

"I can keep my fucking temper, Kakarot!" The Saiyan prince shouted, his face flushing with anger. He quickly realized that his reaction was only proving the third-class baka right, so he sat down next to his son with a grunt.

"What about him?" Ami asked, pointing to Goku. "I mean, he doesn't look imposing, but we've all seen him fight at the tournaments. Son-san can deliver the message, and he can easily handle any trouble, right?"

Everyone but Vegeta and Trunks nodded in agreement, so it was decided. Goku would go to the square with his power as low as he could keep it and still fly, so he wouldn't scare anyone off. He'd holler for the youma to appear, deliver his message once they did, and be on his way… hopefully.

The Senshi hung around when Goku blasted off towards South City, eating, but not really talking.

Usagi looked up from her current plate and sighed when her eyes lit on Rei. The Senshi of War and Passion had been looking at her off and on since she'd arrived, and clearly had something to say. The princess already knew what it was, thankfully. "It's not your fault, Rei-chan."

"Yes, it is," Rei snapped. "I had a cold, for Phobo's sake, not the fucking ebola virus. I should have been there to protect you."

"What's done is done, Rei," Makoto chimed in. "No sense in beating yourself up about it. We all know you would have fought to the bitter end if you had been there. No one here doubts your loyalty or your dedication.

##################

Goku touched down in the city square and looked around suspiciously, hunting for any ki signatures that were above normal. Everyone in the city had gone inside before dark, due to a curfew set by the police since the first youma attack that morning.

"I come with a message from Princess Serenity," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest in an imitation of Vegeta. Unnerved by the silence that followed he huffed softly. "Does anyone want to hear that message, or am I going to have to wait all night?"

"I'm listening," a soft male voice said from in front of him.

Goku searched for a ki signature yet again, but found none, much to his dismay. "She will meet you here tomorrow night, once she is rested and healed. She's still too weak to come to you."

"Then many will die," the voice said flatly. "Either you deliver the princess, or we destroy the city."

"We thought you might say that," Goku replied with an easy grin. "If you destroy the city, Serenity's wrath will know no bounds, and she will choose to become Cosmos, just to smite you." He continued when he heard a gasp of surprise. The Saiyan had no idea what Usagi had meant by her mention of Cosmos, but judging by her distaste for the subject and this youma's reaction, it had to be something impressive. "So, she'll come tomorrow night. You will leave the city alone, and she will keep her promise."

"I think you're full of shit," the youma said angrily. "The princess abhors the idea of becoming Cosmos, and Sailor Moon would never risk endangering all of these people."

"You've created your own monster," Goku said flatly. "What your kind did to her… it changed her." He frowned, but inside, he was thinking that he was a pretty damned good actor. "Now give me an answer so I can deliver it and get some sleep."

####################

Trunks groaned when a Capsule car landed in front of the cabin, and a blue-haired woman stepped out of it. "Should have known this was coming," he grumbled.

"So, where is she!" Bulma yelled, jogging up to the group. She grinned. "I want to meet my new daughter-in-law, Trunks. Don't be rude, where is she!"

Trunks simply pointed up at two shadows sparring in the twilight. "God, not another warrior," she groaned. "I thought your father said she was a princess!"

"She is, mom. But she's also Sailor Moon."

"Oh?" Bulma looked genuinely surprised for a moment, and wanted more than ever to meet the woman that her son had fallen for. She used the bond between herself and Vegeta to get his attention, and snorted with amusement when the other figure apparently scored a hit.

"WOMAN!" Vegeta raged from overhead, "what have I told you about bothering me when I'm training!"

Bulma just grinned, prepared to face his "wrath" once they got home. He was always a lot more fun in bed when he was annoyed with her. An unsettling thought occurred to her as the two figures in the air were obviously talking. "Won't she get hurt from training with Vegeta like that?"

Trunks smiled and shook his head. "Father's keeping his ki at the same level as hers, just to see what she can do. Apparently one of Usa's guardians taught her how to fight pretty well. They went home a little while ago to prepare for tomorrow. We're just waiting on Goku to return before we sack out for the night."

"Sorry, Tousan, I didn't sense her, it's not like she has a high ki or anything!" Usagi's voice floated down as they made their descent.

"Not your fault," Vegeta grumbled. "I shouldn't have been distracted by a stupid woman, even if she is my mate."

Trunks caught his mate before she could touch down, and kissed her before setting her on her feet. Her braid had come unfastened, and her hair hung messily, still half-plaited and tangled, over one shoulder. She was soaked in sweat, but glowing from the fight. She was perfect, in his eyes. "Gave the old man a run for his money, I see?" He nodded at the bruise on Vegeta's cheek.

"Oh, that's right, I nearly forgot!" Before Vegeta could jerk away, she reached out and laid her hand on his face, filling him with her light.

The crown prince felt his knees go weak when everything inside of him relaxed at once, but his daughter pulled away before he could fall. "Kami, woman, what the fuck did you just do?" He was trying for an annoyed tone, but his voice sounded pleased and relaxed.

"Healed your cheek," she answered simply. "Good as new." She turned to Bulma and gave a respectful bow. "Okassan, watashi wa Usagi-chan."

Bulma smiled, and pulled Usagi to her in a sweaty hug. "Welcome to the family, dear. I trust you'll give me a granddaughter soon?"

"What is it with you people and babies?" Usagi snorted.

"I got pregnant with Trunks in the first week. Same with Chi-Chi and Goku, with Gohan. Saiyan men tend to be very potent right after they claim a mate," Bulma answered brightly.

Trunks and Vegeta both noticed the way Usagi's face blanched, but the older of the two shook his head. "You're not, girl, don't worry. I'd be able to smell it if you were." He smirked when she visibly relaxed. "What, you don't want to whelp brats like every other woman on the planet?"

"Not yet," she answered flatly. "I'm a fighter first, damn it. And I can't very well kick your ass if I'm pregnant, Tousan."

"You couldn't kick my ass anyway, girl," he answered good-naturedly.

All three of them looked up when they felt Goku coming, and Usagi ran to meet him when he touched down in front of the cabin. "Well, Son-san? What did they say?"

Goku nodded sharply. "They'll meet you in the square tomorrow at sundown, but you must come as the princess, so that they know you have the Silver Crystal. They're also demanding that the Golden Warrior accompany you… I think they mean to try and capture him, too," he added with a wry smile. "Like that'll happen. They said to hang the moon in the sky if you agree to their conditions, and that no one in the city will be harmed."

Usagi pulled out her communicator and alerted all four of the Inners. "Ladies, the plan is a go. Don't freak out over seeing the moon in the sky for a moment, they had their own terms, and I agree to them, so I have to signal as much."

"What were their terms?" Makoto and Rei asked simultaneously.

Usagi shrugged. "That I come as Serenity, and not Sailor Moon. They'll want proof that I have the Crystal with me. They also want Stranger. I'm supposed to make the moon appear if I agree, and no one will be hurt."

"Make sure you don't let it appear right above you," Ami advised.

"Duh, Mercury. I'm not retarded. I'm out, you guys get some sleep." Usagi closed her watch, gave her mate a kiss, and slipped her compact out of her pocket. "Alright, I think I'll make it hang over the square itself, just to be a smartass. What do you think, Stranger?"

"I think they're suicidal to specifically request my presence," he snorted.

Usagi opened her compact, pulled out the lotus-shaped crystal, and was immediately engulfed in bright silver light. When it faded, she was in her gown, and was nearly identical to Neo-Queen Serenity, wings included.

Trunks looked her up and down appreciatively as she transformed. "Do I get to shred that outfit, too?" He asked with a grin.

"Shut up, Stranger," she chuckled, as her face tilted up to look at the sky to the east. A full moon formed over South City, large and bright, and she let it hang there for a little while before putting the crystal away and changing back into a disheveled young woman in a black tank top and filthy jeans.

"Wow," Bulma said softly, a little in awe of her new daughter's previous transformation. "I guess you really are a princess. What was that thing on your forehead?"

"The symbol of the royal house of the moon," she answered lightly. "No big deal. All of my Senshi wear theirs as well when they're in their more regal forms."

"Alright," Trunks said flatly. "That's enough talk." He scooped up his mate, and nodded to his parents and Goku. "I don't want to be rude, but I'm still on my honeymoon, damn it."

"He gets it from you," Bulma snickered. "Come on, monkey man, let's go so I can make good on the deal."

Vegeta didn't bother to respond, since he was more than happy to leave in exchange for some oral sex, so he scooped up his mate and took off with her, while she bitched about leaving the car at the cabin.

Goku just grinned and winked at Trunks and Usagi. "Well, since you and your father are going to be busy, that puts me in a like mind." He blasted off for Chi-Chi and home, intent on putting the moves on his mate before he got some sleep. And if she wasn't in the mood, he'd get all masculine and dominant. Chi-Chi loved it when the Saiyan came out while they were in the bed.

"Well," Trunks started, as he carried his bride into the cabin, "should we start with dirty, nasty, I've-been-sparring-all-day sex? Or would you like to get clean first?"

Usagi blushed at the intensity in his eyes, the way he was already mentally undressing her. "Whatever you want," she said shyly.

Usagi was immediately pressed against the wall, her pants were roughly yanked down as he took her at her word, and he was inside of her before she could even word a protest. She whimpered in a mix of pleasure and pain when he thrust against her, hard and demanding, but matched his pace when his hand slipped between them to stroke her.

That first, hurried coupling didn't last long, and Usagi was thrown over his shoulder in a rush and hauled into the shower, where he vigorously stripped the both of them and cut the hot water on. "Again?" She asked in astonishment, when she felt something poke her thigh.

"Hey, you said whatever I want. And I want to fuck you until you pass out." He grinned when her jaw dropped. "Don't act like you don't want me to try."

Usagi laughed at that statement. "Alright, you got me there. Can I at least wash my hair first?"

"I suppose." Trunks scooped up a washcloth and some soap, and proceeded to wash the sweat and dirt from her while she concentrated on the arduous task of washing all of that long blonde hair. He nipped at her mating mark when the washcloth moved between her legs. "Hm, I don't remember you coming for me the first time, Moon."

Usagi leaned back against his chest and reached behind her to stroke him. "You can make it up to me in a little bit."

"Rinse you hair," he ordered softly. "I think I'll make it up to you now." He began his assault on her the moment her hair was free of shampoo, trailing his mouth down her neck, pressing her against the shower wall. He bit down lightly on her breast when her hand stroked him in encouragement, and sank to his knees.

Usagi's head tipped back and she moaned when he suddenly took her with his mouth. "Oh, God… Stranger, I—" Her knees nearly went out while she was trying to warn him, but his strong arms held her up as she clung to him, floating on a sea of pleasure.

Trunks held her in place when she came, moaning his name and writhing against him. "Not done with you yet, woman," he grunted, when he stood and she clung to him for support. Her legs were shaking so hard she couldn't even try to stand.

"Bed," she gasped desperately, when he tried to take her against the wall.

"Is the Golden Warrior too much for you, woman?" He chuckled in her ear. He laughed in earnest when she nodded against him weakly, and cut off the shower. He dried them both with his ki and did as she asked, carrying her to his bed and laying her down on top of the covers. "Better?"

"Much better." Usagi whimpered and arched against him when he wasted no time in claiming her, and once again found herself riding the tidal waves of ecstasy that kept swamping her over and over.

She clung to him tightly when he bit down on her shoulder and growled something she didn't understand; Trunks was so caught up in his complete possession of her that he'd reverted to speaking in Saiyan. The only thing she understood was her name when his movements suddenly became hard and demanding, and she did her best to meet him for every thrust through the haze of desire that was running through her body. Finally, he growled something in that guttural tongue, along with her name, as his eyes closed and he relaxed against her.

"Sailor Moon too much for you?" She asked softly.

Trunks replied in Saiyan, then chuckled as he realized he wasn't speaking English. "Never. In fact, I'm ready to go again." He grinned and licked her mating mark when she groaned softly. "Kami, I could make love to you for the rest of my life, and die happy."

"Yeah, but then I'd die sore," Usagi replied dryly. Her lips trailed up his throat and brushed against his mouth. "Maybe we can compromise."

"Five times a day sounds good to me," he purred against her mouth. Trunks chuckled when her eyes widened and she stared at him in utter disbelief. "What, woman, you don't think I can follow through on that?"

"No, honey… I don't think I can follow through on that. I'd like to be able to walk, you know… and we'd have to leave the bedroom at some point to train. Howabout once a day?"

"Three."

"Two." She laughed when he grunted his displeasure at her haggling skills. "Three if I'm up to it," she allowed.

**If you love me (or you hate me), just clickie-click-click in that little box right below and right me a short note about what you think! Come on, yall, show the hardworking author some LOVE!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Yay, all done with school for the semester, woo! So here's a new chapter to celebrate! Also, for any of yall that are reading my GW/SM fic, I also posted chapter 28. That thing is turning into a regular magnum opus. Also, I've been working on a VxU fic… let me know if any of yall have an interest in reading it, and I'll go ahead and finish writing the beginning. I know, it's sad. I've written 100 pages, but I ain't busted out the beginning yet… ugh. Anyways, let me know how yall like this chapter, we're just about done! One chapter left!**

"You're early," Vegeta grunted, when he felt Usagi's ki land a few feet away from him.

"I had to get away for a while, or I wouldn't have been able to walk," she sputtered. "Are _all_ Saiyans this…?" She blushed and let the question hang in the air unfinished.

"Demanding?" He supplied tactfully. While Vegeta would embarrass the hell out of his son, it felt a little strange when he thought of doing the same to his son's mate. He finally turned to face her, and grinned at the sight of her mark. It had obviously been bitten several times during the night and that morning. "He wanted you for a long time, girl. He's probably working through all of that pent-up sexual frustration."

"Like a little boy who's been given the keys to the candy store," she muttered. "Not that I'm really complaining… too much," she added with a smile.

"You just need a break to eat and train once in a while," he chuckled knowingly. "So, I'm just curious, girl… have you bitten him yet?"

"Huh… no, but how did you…?" That morning, when she'd awoken to a gentle assault on her body, she had run her mouth along his collarbone and had felt the most overwhelming urge to bite down and taste his blood in her mouth. But Trunks had suddenly bitten down on her mark again, and she was swamped with a heat so delicious that it had wiped all sentient thought from her mind.

"The next time you want to, do it," he said firmly. "It'll complete the bond, and possibly calm him down a little. Trunks is a Saiyan; he'll be trying like hell to assert his dominance over you, to make you accept his claim. Bite him, and you acknowledge him as your mate."

"Oh." Usagi just stared at him in surprise. "You really need to teach me all of this shit, Tousan. I would have bitten him the first time if I'd known; I acknowledged him as my… mate… God, I'll never get used to that word… when I offered myself to him," she said with a blush. "I love him," she added softly.

"When you bite him, tell him…" Vegeta said something in his mothertongue, and repeated it when she lifted an eyebrow. He added something else to it, and said it over and over until she had the pronunciation perfect. "Good."

"What does it mean?" She asked curiously.

Vegeta grinned and tipped her a wink. "That's not something I'm repeating in English, girl. You'll have to ask your mate."

"Does it mean 'I love you?'?"

The Saiyan prince snorted in contempt for his wife's native language. "There's not a clear translation for it. It means a _lot_ more than that, girl. Just say it to him after you bite him. The closest thing you could possibly say to 'I lo—lo—'" Vegeta rolled his eyes and shook his head, sputtering something in contempt in Saiyan. Kami, he hated saying that word, it never did Saiyan emotions justice. "_That_ word," he finished.

"Does someone have a problem with saying 'love'?" Usagi teased mercilessly. "Oh my God, I never thought the almighty Crown Prince of Vegeta-sai would be laid low by a pathetic single-syllable word from Chikyuu. It must be quite the scary word to terrify you so much."

Vegeta glared at her and snapped out a few choice phrases in Saiyan that could only be concise remarks about her and her pitiful planet's language. "You want to learn this shit or not, girl?" Vegeta finally asked, once he'd resisted the urge to beat his daughter to a pulp.

"Hai, Tousan," she answered with a little grin.

Vegeta crossed his arms and regarded her seriously before uttering a single word. "That means _'beloved_,' he explained. It's the closest possible translation for the word that I've ever been able to come up with. It is _not _used lightly, little girl, do you understand?" He was satisfied when his pupil gave him a sharp nod, and repeated the word perfectly. "It's a word used exclusively between mates."

A tiny smile played on Usagi's lips. "So, you can say 'beloved,' which contains the word love, but you can't actually say 'love?'"

"Girl, you'd better count your lucky stars that you're my daughter, or I'd be kicking the shit out of you," he grumbled.

"Hai, Tousan," she said sweetly. "I love you, Tousan." Usagi grinned devilishly when he glared daggers at her. "You ready to train me now, my dearest, sweetest, most-loved Father?"

"Sure," he said flatly. "I believe you've pissed me off enough that it'll be eventful. Now… let's show you just how dear and sweet I can fucking be, girl."

###############

Trunks pushed down on the wave of jealousy he felt when he homed in on his mate's ki and found it surrounded by other males. The way it was flaring, she was sparring with someone… he growled in anger when he felt Goten's ki flashing as well, colliding with hers on occasion. No, she was his, he _knew _she was his. He wasn't going to give in to his urge to destroy his best friend in the world.

But when he closed in on their ki signatures and they came into view, he felt that Saiyan rage sneaking up on him unbidden.

Usagi cried out in alarm when she swung at Goten, only to have him knocked out of the air and right into the ground by a golden blur. It took her only a split second to realize what had just happened, and she was immediately on top of Trunks, trying her hardest to yank him off of his friend. "Stranger!" She yelled, "Get off of him; we were just sparring, for Selene's sake!"

He was yelling in Saiyan as he continued his assault on Goten, who was just trying his damnedest to defend against the rain of blows. Usagi started flaring her ki in alarm, as high as it would go, in an attempt to alert Vegeta, while she continued to yell at her mate and pull him back. "Damn it, Trunks! Get off of him!"

She yelped when she was jerked back by an arm, and tossed to the ground none-too-gently. "Thank God," she whispered, when she saw that it was Vegeta who had thrown her, and who was now wading into the brawl. Despite the finger-shaped bruises that were sure to pop up on her arm within minutes, she was immensely grateful that he'd answered her call. He effortlessly went to level three and dragged his son off of Goten, kicking and screaming.

"God, Goten, are you ok!" Usagi ran to his side to heal him, but stopped when Vegeta yelled at her not to touch him.

"What girl, you want to make my brat even crazier! He'll be fine, just stay away from him!" Vegeta barked.

Goten gave her a quick nod and a shaky smile as he carefully climbed to his feet. "I'll be alright, Usagi. Go with Vegeta and make sure Trunks is alright. I hit him a good few times."

Usagi's eyes snapped open as an idea occurred to her, and she ran to her mate, who was still struggling and trying like hell to beat the shit out of his father. He was so incensed with rage that he hadn't ascended any further than level one, thank God. She grunted as she took a strategic punch to the shoulder in order to get close enough to fill him with her light.

Vegeta loosened his grip when his son went limp. "I warned you not to spar with an unmated male, girl," he snapped at her. He sighed when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "You didn't know this would happen," he allowed. "But now you do, so don't do it again. Only mated males, understood?" He patted her on the back, a rare show of affection, when she nodded slowly. He went to check Goten and give the newly mated pair a moment alone.

"Hai, Tousan. Gomen nasai." She cut off the healing light when Trunks' hair reverted to its normal state, and stroked his jawline. "Stranger?" She asked hesitantly.

He snarled at her in Saiyan and cast around, looking for the man that had dared to touch his mate.

"I can't understand you," Usagi said softly. She brushed her lips against his, and that seemed to relax him. But when he tried to pull away and go hunting for Goten, she jerked him back. "No, stay with me," she said gently. "I feel safe with you," she added, hoping that those words would be enough to convince the Saiyan in him.

Trunks sat down next to her and took her in his arms, holding her tightly. "You're safe," he said hoarsely. "And you're mine."

"Yours," she agreed. Usagi whimpered when he bit down on her mating mark, and raked her teeth across his shoulder in return. She didn't miss it when he shivered against her and his hold tightened. Maybe she should just…

Trunks moaned when he felt a flash of pain, followed by a wave of comfort and warmth. He felt her lips at his ear after a moment, and his eyes nearly popped when he heard her say two phrases in Saiyan, soft and low. Never before had his home planet's language sounded so fucking sexy. And _those _words, too, coming out _her _mouth…

Usagi was pleasantly surprised when his lips moved over hers, softly, slowly, unhurried in a gentle exploration of her mouth. This was by far the gentlest he'd been with her since… well, ever. He was pausing every so often to murmur something in that fierce-sounding language, but the way he was saying the words made her feel wonderful, vulnerable, and loved.

Or was that what he was feeling? The princess closed her eyes as his mouth brushed against her pulse, followed by his tongue, and realized that she could feel him in the back of her mind. Sweet Selene, the man was so deeply in love with her that it hurt her heart. Her eyes cracked open slightly when she heard someone clearing their throat from behind her mate, and she giggled at the sight of Vegeta, who was trying his very best to hide his pleased expression with a scowl. He was failing miserably.

Trunks looked up at his father and his eyes narrowed. "What?" The Saiyan in him was annoyed at being interrupted, but the unflagging rage was long gone. His woman had completed the bond; she belonged to him now; heart, soul and body, and no one could take her from him.

"Watch the tone, brat," Vegeta replied, albeit pleasantly. "Now that you've calmed down, you might want to go and make things right with Kakarot's brat. He wasn't trying to take her, he was sparring with her."

Trunks looked over to Goten, who was leaning against a tree and seemed fairly annoyed. While he wasn't seriously injured, he was still pretty banged up. He had an easy time shoving down the jealousy, now that Usagi had bitten him, and he tugged her to her feet so she could accompany him while he made amends.

"Sorry," he grunted.

Goten snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's alright," he said grudgingly.

"May I heal him?" Usagi asked softly. She smiled when Trunks looked down at her and regarded her seriously. "I think letting me heal him would be an appropriate peace offering, don't you?" Her mate nodded after a moment, and she separated herself from him slowly. She touched Goten's face lightly, and felt Trunks' presence in the back of her mind, tensing, fighting down the urge to jerk her back and beat the hell out of his best friend.

Usagi worked quickly, and was yanked back possessively into Trunks' arms the moment her hand broke away from Goten. "Mine," he growled.

"Yeah, she's yours," Goten replied pleasantly. Her healing light had made him feel unbelievably happy and relaxed, and now he was only interested in getting something to eat and taking a break.

Usagi leaned her head back against Trunks' chest and murmured the newest word she'd added to her Saiyan vocabulary. She smirked when he ground himself against her backside and growled something in response. She didn't understand the words, but she understood the tone and the erotic images flashing in his mind. "I think Tousan would welcome a break from training me for an hour… or two," she said softly, for his ears only.

"More like three or four." Not one to drag things out, he scooped her up in his arms, went straight to level two, and sped across the sky for the cabin. They almost didn't make it, when Usagi decided to get fresh and slip a firm, coaxing hand between his legs. Trunks hung on despite the temptation to drop them both into the woods and take her against the nearest tree, and tore both of their clothes off the moment he got her on the bed.

Usagi's legs went around him to pull him closer when he slowly filled her, and she moaned softly when he began to move inside of her at a leisurely pace. Her eyes cracked open, glazed with desire, and she looked at the satisfied smirk on his face in disbelief. "Stranger?"

Now that she'd completed the bond, Trunks was more than a little amazed at the amount of self-control he could exert, and had decided to do what he'd been aching to do for what seemed like forever. He nipped at her neck, working a trail to her breast. "Just enjoy it, beautiful. I can go like this for as long as you need me to."

Usagi chuckled, then gurgled with pleasure as he moved a little deeper, a little harder. "And how long is that? About five minutes?" She teased. "Six?"

"I swear to God, I'm not stopping until you're shaking," he growled pleasantly. "Now, you'd better start screaming my name, or you're going to miss training for the rest of the day."

"If you want me to scream, you're going to have to go a little harder than that," she gasped, as he took a nipple between his lips and suckled her slowly. She could feel herself approaching ecstasy, and while she was thoroughly enjoying this new and gentle Stranger, she thought she was going to burn up if he didn't follow the hints she was trying to give him with the desperate movement of her hips. "Please, Stranger," she whispered in his ear, followed by the two phrases she'd learned in Saiyan.

Trunks growled the word for 'beloved' in return, before switching to English. "Come for me, Usa. Come for me like this, and you can have whatever you want. As much as you want, as much as you think you can handle." His tongue slid over her mating mark before he bit down on it, and her hips arched in response just as her teeth clamped down on the fresh bite on his shoulder.

They both found themselves swamped with a mutual feeling of euphoria, and it was just what Usagi needed to push her over the edge, moaning as she came undone against him, slow and hard. "Trunks," she whimpered, when her climax continued to flood her senses, forcing all thought from her mind except for the god on top of her. She cried out his name when he bit down on her shoulder again and suddenly slammed himself inside of her, taking her rough and hard, just like she'd wanted only moments before. Usagi was immediately spiraling upwards again, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she stiffened in his arms and shattered.

"Better?" He chuckled against her throat. Trunks slowed down again for both their benefits, returning to the soft, tender lovemaking they'd begun with. "Not satisfied?" He asked, raising a brow when her hips rocked against him in a not-too-subtle order to speed up.

Usagi felt the smile blooming on his lips when he kissed her passionately and thrust into her, gradually increasing his pace until she was moaning and begging him for more.

"More?" He whispered in her ear. "I know I made a promise, but I want one in return," he growled seductively. Trunks eased back just enough to keep her on the edge without pushing her over.

"Name it," she moaned. "Just… please, Stranger, _please_. I need you."

"I want the fuku. Tonight, no excuses. Understand?" Trunks smirked when she moaned something low that sounded like a yes, and proceeded to shove her over the edge she'd been teetering on for far too long.

#############

"Moon?"

"Mmmm?"

"You ok?"

"Mmmmmhmmmm…" she moaned softly. "You?"

Trunks grinned and nibbled her neck before kissing his way up the column of her throat. "Are you satisfied?"

Usagi finally opened her eyes a little to look up at him and smile. God, she felt high. She supposed that that was exactly what she was feeling; she was high on him. She tightened her legs around his waist, only to pull him down so she could run her fingers through his hair. "I love you, Stranger," she whispered happily. "Promise me that this really isn't some sort of dream?"

"If it is, please don't ever wake me up," he chuckled, running his hands freely down her delicious, perfect curves. "And if it is a dream, I'll kill the bastard that tries to wake you," he added seriously. "You're mine, and **no one's** taking you from me."

Usagi kissed his mark, pleased when he shivered against her and his eyes fluttered shut. "I'm yours, Trunks. Completely yours, in every way, dream or no dream." She clutched him to her tightly when he tried to roll off of her, and was grateful when he rolled them both to their sides, still joined, their legs entwined. "Sorry… I just…"

"I know, sweetheart, it's alright." Trunks kissed her softly, and simply held her, knowing that she was having another one of her post-traumatic moments. "You're safe, you're safe, you're safe," he whispered, each reassurance punctuated by a kiss, a touch, or a graze of his teeth against her mark.

Kami, how long would this affect her? He wondered. Weeks? Months? Years? The thought truly worried him; Usagi was one of the strongest people he knew, and while he understood that what she'd been through would have killed a lesser person, it was disturbing to see her reduced to this paranoid, blind fear every time she would so much as _fleetingly_ wonder if she was dreaming.

"You should talk to Father," he suggested softly. "Not now, but in a few weeks, if you're still feeling scared. Mother once told me that he would have night terrors, and these paranoid moments when he was awake. I once asked him about it, but he only told me that it was concerning his time of service to Frieza. He refused to tell me anymore than that, and I wasn't going to push it, especially since I was only twelve. Goku filled in some of the blanks when I was older."

"What happened to Tousan?" Usagi asked, her brow wrinkling in genuine concern.

"The way Goku explained it, Father landed on this planet with the intention of destroying it. He was a purger of worlds, working for Frieza since he was ten. My grandfather unwisely gave Frieza my father… it's complicated," he added, when Usagi stared at him in horror. "Anyway, what he did before he came here… it weighed on him for years. My father would _never_ admit to feeling regret for anything, but…" Trunks should his head.

"He's a man," Usagi finished for him. "No matter how hard he tries, he's still just a man. He can only harden his heart so much. You can only go cold for so long. I know," she added so softly that even Trunks barely heard her. "I've tried."

He heard her thoughts in his head, and focused on an image of her, dressed in a rainbow fuku, bearing a staff. Her hair was white, her eyes silver, and she bore a star on her forehead. "Is that Sailor Cosmos?" He asked knowingly. Other than to give Goku the message, she'd refused to elaborate on her threat.

"I had to become her once, when my Senshi died. The planet was nearly destroyed, and I went cold… for what seemed like forever. Even after I'd refused the permanent mantle of Cosmos and revived my Senshi, it took a few years before I regained some sense of identity. I freed my Senshi of their obligation to watch over me, even though they act like I never did any such thing.

About a year after I truly started to get it together, Mako-chan and Rei-chan started training me, and it really helped me pick up the pieces. That was when I started sneaking out at night and doing the crime fighting gig. The girls bitched at first… a lot… and without end," she remembered with a rueful smile. "Rei was the loudest of them, as I recall, but once I'd proven that I could hold my own against your run-of-the-mill crooks, they gave me a break, and just insisted on me checking in every night when I was through with my patrol.

"Another year after I started my new routine, my night was interrupted by this golden light in the sky," she continued with a hint of annoyance, as her fingers tangled in his hair and stroked the base of his neck. "I thought you were a youma at first," Usagi admitted with a hint of fear, "but that golden blur never came hunting for me, and I could never seem to catch it. It was almost like you were avoiding me. So, I started staking out the city, watching the light from your ki every night, and it only took me a couple days to figure out a pattern in your movements."

Trunks grinned against her neck, where he'd been lazily kissing her as he held her tightly against him. "So, you sat out on that roof until I showed up?"

Usagi snorted. "Don't go getting all proud of yourself, Stranger. You're extremely fucking predictable, and I **do** know how to tell time. I'd been waiting for about five minutes when you showed, and then you were a complete and total douchebag to me when I offered to join forces."

He turned his head to bite down gently on her mark. "_**That**_ was why I was a douchebag," he explained. "I wanted you the moment I first saw you, and since I'd never felt anything like that before, I wasn't sure what it was or how to handle it. I wanted to take you right then and there on the rooftop, with or without your consent. Though I'm sure I could have had you willingly with minimal effort," he added smugly.

"Oh, really?" Usagi asked incredulously, banishing the memory of her instant attraction to him. Considering that she'd been a virgin, it would have taken quite a bit more than just a little bit of effort, but if he'd pushed the right buttons, he would have still had her willingly. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but just how in the hell would you have pulled _that _off?"

Trunks nibbled her earlobe before flicking it with his tongue. "You want me to tell you, Moon? Or would you prefer me to show you?" He smirked when he felt her interest through their bond. "Of course, you'd have to be in uniform for that."

"Tonight?" She asked with a grin.

"Oh, no. Not tonight. I won't have the restraint to take your imaginary virginity," he chuckled. "Tonight, _beloved_, you're getting fucked to within an inch of your life. Kami, I can't wait to see you wearing nothing but those boots and your jewelry." Trunks laughed a little harder when she seemed disappointed for a moment. "Is somebody turned on by the idea of roleplaying?"

"Oh, like you're one to talk," she huffed with a blush.

Trunks felt himself begin to harden inside of her at the idea of them playing some very interesting bedroom games on a certain familiar rooftop. "Hm, are you going to fight me a little bit, maybe? Make me seduce the reluctant virgin?" He growled and bit down on her mating mark when she moved her hips against him weakly, almost as if she was already trying to resist the urge of wanting him. "You like that idea, don't you, Moon? You want to try and resist me while I try my best to make you come for the first time?" He gave a little moan when she nodded against him and brushed her mouth over his, while her hips began to move a little harder, a little faster.

"How do you want me to take you, Moon? Hard and fast? Or do you want me to make love to you once you finally can't fight me anymore?" He whispered.

"Both," she gasped. "Please, Trunks… God, I'm burning up. I need you to move."

"And how do you want it now, _beloved_? Tell me what you want me to do to you."

"Make love to me," she begged. Usagi felt a sudden need to feel him like she had before, to feel how much he loved her, to feel safe and cherished in his arms. "I love you," she whispered, as he rolled on top of her, not missing a stroke in the rhythm. He kissed her slowly and gently just as she came for him, the pleasure washing through her like a soft light.

Usagi arched her hips against him, surrendering everything she was to him as that same warm glow pulsed through her yet again. She felt his love through their bond, and flooded her own love for him through it as she arched against him helplessly yet again.

Trunks moaned against her when he felt everything that was Usagi—pure, and light, and beautiful—run through him and fill his entire being. "Oh, Kami… Usa… " He couldn't hold back anymore, and as if she was sensing it, her grip on his lower back tightened, as if telling him to let go. He saw stars as she bit down on his mark, and growled in Saiyan as he exploded inside of her, fighting every instinct to keep himself from thrusting forward, hard and fast. No, there'd be plenty of time for that after the battle.

####################

Rei stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply to the two men sparring in the air, both of them nothing but golden blurs as they beat the living hell out of each other.

Vegeta and Goku both froze and looked down, one of them scowling deeply, and the other smiling brightly. "Damn girl, I really need to make an example out of one of them so they'll learn not to interrupt," the Prince of all Saiyans snarled.

"She's probably just wondering where her princess is," Goku said brightly. "Besides, you look like you could use a break, old man."

"Shut up, Kakarot!" The last word was punctuated with a punch to the taller Saiyan's stomach, and Vegeta felt a little rush of satisfaction at making his opponent double over. He left Goku there, fighting to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him, as the Saiyan prince dropped to the ground. He folded his arms over his chest and just stared at the raven-haired Senshi. "What, girl."

"Where's Usagi? I thought she'd be training with you." Her eyes flickered up to the other Saiyan, who was still trying to regain his breath, and her lips twitched up momentarily. "He should have seen that coming."

Vegeta snorted and tipped his head in the barest of nods. "Usagi's with her mate right now, but they've only been gone for thirty minutes, so don't expect her back anytime soon." He grinned when Rei turned crimson, obviously understanding his meaning.

"Oh… um, well, I won't bother them, then," she stuttered. Annoyed that he was obviously enjoying her embarrassment, she quickly recovered. "Since she won't be back for a while, I suppose I could stand to learn how to fight like you."

He chuckled lightly, ignoring Goku when he landed behind him, until he quickly closed the gap and rushed at Vegeta, aiming a punch for his head. The prince simply side-stepped, jerked Rei out of the way, and let the third-class warrior fly right by. "Hn, like I wasn't paying attention," he snorted in contempt.

Rei studied Vegeta with professional interest and nodded. "You'll definitely do. Feel like training me?" She smirked in a manner identical to his own when he just looked at her with poorly concealed amusement.

"I'd break you in half, girl. Go ask one of Kakarot's brats, they're weak enough to spar with."

"I don't want to spar. I want to learn. And as the princess of war, I want the best teacher available. That's you." Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction when she saw his attention sharpen. Yep, apparently feeding into his ego was definitely the way to go. "But, if you're too busy sparring with the baka… the one that's about to pummel you from above…"

Vegeta raised a hand, not even looking away from Rei, and let loose a ki blast that sent Goku flying back up. "I'm starting to think that he simply enjoys getting the fucking shit beaten out of him," he grumbled. He studied her for a moment longer, and finally nodded once. "Alright, little girl. Let's see just how weak you are."

He looked up at Goku and flared his ki in a certain way that signaled a timeout, before powering down to his normal appearance. "Ready, girl?"

Rei tossed her purse a little ways away before taking a fighting stance. "Ready, sensei." The princess of Mars barely had time to keep from getting her nose broken as she rapidly blocked his first punch, and found herself backing away, completely on the defensive, as she blocked punch after punch, and kick after kick. There wasn't even any dodging involved, he was just too fast for her to even think about getting out of the line of fire long enough to plan an offensive. And God, the man hit like a fucking hammer! Her arms and legs were going to be covered in bruises by the time they were done!

She tried not to even think about the fact that he wasn't even using his ki; if he'd been using so much as a fraction of it, she knew she'd be eating dirt.

"Is that all you've got, little girl?" Vegeta taunted. "I would have expected a lot more than _this _from someone who claims to the Senshi of War."

Rei's eyes glittered with anger, and balls of flame suddenly erupted around her fists as her fury fueled her enough to get in a few punches of her own. Never mind that they were all easily blocked. She only stopped when Vegeta suddenly flared his ki, using the signal she recognized from only minutes ago, the one that said "timeout." "Well? Will you train me?"

"Feh, you're going to need a _lot _of work," he grumbled. "Kami, I hate starting from scratch, don't you girls know _anything_?"

Rei grinned, closed her eyes, and in mere moments, had produced a sizable amount of red ki flames. "I figured it out last night," she explained, pleased with the flicker of surprise on Vegeta's face. "I had the advantage of the sacred flame, though, I'll admit. I only had to monitor Usagi for a few minutes yesterday, since pulling up your ki is similar to the way I use my own powers in the temple."

"You're lucky you didn't burn yourself up, doing that for the first time without a spotter," Goku said cheerfully. "Did you push it to the limit, yet?"

Rei nodded, and the ki flames rapidly grew around her until she cringed at the burning sensation.

"That's enough, girl," Vegeta said flatly, impressed by her level of control when her ki immediately shrank back down.

All three of them looked over when two high ki signatures came zooming in to land beside them. "Well, well, well! We found another one!" Goten chuckled. "Are you going to train her, Father?"

Goku grinned and shook his head. "Vegeta's training her."

Goten and Gohan just gaped at Rei in amazement. Vegeta never trained _anyone _except for family, so the fact that he was training Usagi wasn't surprising. But this girl, too?

"I won't settle for less," Rei said flatly.

Damn it, it was starting to look like he was going soft. "At least my daughter can use you as a punching bag," Vegeta snorted. He looked to Goten. "I'm going to the gravity room. Teach her how to fly." He blasted off before anyone could argue that it was his job to teach his new student how to fly.

**Argh, poor Vegeta, he's not going soft! Well, at least he'll definitely prove it in the final showdown! :D **

**Chibihime: I know, right? I simply see Vegeta, and therefore Trunks (since he's his son), both being extremely sexual creatures. Goku and Goten too, honestly, given the right inspiration. **

**Topaz: I love you so much, honey! And yes, I HATE it when people make Goku seem stupid! He's too chipper for my tastes, and way too light-hearted, but he is pretty intelligent and hardcore when it comes down to it. Just watch the anime and pay attention! And I hope you enjoyed the hotness in this chapter, too, girl! Unfortunately, there really won't be anymore, we're getting down to the last chapter next, and the inevitable fight. I may, however, add an epilogue that involves a certain… ahem… fuku. Wouldn't want to deny Trunks the opportunity, after all!**

**ChibiSilver: I have so enjoyed talking to you these last couple days via PM, and I just wanted to thank you for all of your positive input! Thank you so much for being awesome!**


	8. Chapter 7

**I know, I said this would be the last chapter, but the Muse has spoken, and I was convinced by a friend to go ahead and post all of this, rather than do it as an add-on one-shot. So, enjoy, and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE REVIEW, PEOPLE! :D Love yall, and thank you for reading!**

Goku grinned at them, watching Vegeta retreat to his chamber of solitude. "That actually doesn't seem like a bad idea. I'm going to go train by myself for a little while. You guys call me if you need any help, ok?" With that, he shot off into the sky.

Rei studied her fingernails before looking back up at the two Saiyans that were simply staring at her. "Well, who's going to teach me how to fly?

Gohan opened his mouth to volunteer, but quickly shut it when Goten just barely growled under his breath. Well, that answered _that _question.

Goten had been asking their father an awful lot of questions about Saiyan instincts since the day before, and while Gohan was merely hoping that his brother was curious about their best friend's transformation from shy young man into possessive, brooding, and almost Vegeta-like, he'd been pretty sure what was really going on.

Thank Kami Goten wasn't attracted to the girl that he'd felt a pull towards… he really would hate to beat the living shit out of his baby brother. If anyone touched her… Gohan's jaw clenched at the very thought; he hadn't had to ask his father any questions, at least, he'd only had to eavesdrop on his father's conversation with Goten.

The younger Saiyan stepped forward, arms folded over his chest, as he raked his eyes over the raven-haired beauty. Thankfully, Rei only saw this as him sizing her up, and not checking her out. "Alright," he finally stated, "you want to do this the easy way, or the quick way?"

"You mean drop me, like Stranger's father did with Usagi?" She shrugged when he gave her a curt nod. "Sure, we've only got about eight hours until nightfall, and I want any edge I can possibly get on the enemy. The quicker, the better."

"Well, come on, then."

Rei stepped into his arms and felt a curious tingle when they wrapped around her tightly, pressing her even closer to that rock-hard body. What the hell? She pushed away the sudden wave of attraction she felt towards the goofy young man that she'd only met the day before.

Goten smiled with pride when he launched them into the air and she didn't even flinch at the sudden onset of speed. "Not scared of heights?"

She snorted in reply, and snaked her arms around his neck for a better grip. "I'm the Senshi of War, you baka. I don't scare easily." She looked down when they stopped suddenly. "Alright, let's do this." Rei shoved at him when he suddenly leaned forward, just close enough to kiss her. "What in the hell do you think you're doing!?" She screamed.

"Kami, you're cute when you're pissed."

Rei jumped when his hand fisted in her hair, and his mouth pressed against hers, his lips moving possessively as he kissed her lazily. God, she was the Senshi of Fire, and she'd never burned like this before. His lips were like a brand on hers, marking her for the rest of her life.

Goten purred with pleasure when she responded to him gradually, her hands travelling up his neck to tangle in his hair. Good, she felt it too, that was all he'd needed to know. He grinned at the half-lidded look on her face when he finally pulled away. Her lips were a little swollen from how hard he'd been kissing her, and she looking absolutely gorgeous to him. "Alright," he chuckled. "Time to fly, Rei."

She bit back a full-fledged scream when she suddenly plunged through the clouds, realizing only after several seconds that he'd let her go, and launched a fireball at him as he flew down to catch her in case she couldn't—oh shit! Rei flared her ki quickly and mentally yelled at it to push her upwards, but it was too little, too late.

Goten laughed hysterically when Rei pounded on his chest furiously the moment she was in his arms again. She'd singed his hair a bit with that fireball as he'd flown past, so he ascended to Super Saiyan just in case she decided to pull the same stunt as he soared back into the air with her cradled in his arms. "You are so fucking _hot_ when you're mad."

"Yeah? Well, I'm about to show you just how hot I can be!" She raged, followed by her hands being swallowed by gold and red flames. She only succeeded in burning his shirt off, much to her ire, as she tried her damnedest to beat the shit out of him.

Goten stopped once they were high enough, and gave her a lazy grin before kissing her again. He chuckled when she bit his lip. "Alright, you asked for it." His mouth immediately went to her throat, moving soft and slow, trailing up her neck to her ear. "I have no idea why, but I love pissing you off." He brushed his mouth against hers when she tried yet again to set him on fire. "Oh, don't pretend that you're not enjoying it," he teased.

"Enjoying it!?" She fumed. "I've had more passionate kisses from teenagers, you prick!"

Goten suddenly frowned, regarding her so heavily that Rei felt a shiver run through her. Then he was kissing her again, and it was no longer soft and unhurried; it was a desperate mating of their mouths as he forced hers open with his tongue and plundered her mercilessly. She was returning it just as forcefully within moments as her hands tangled in his hair to pull him closer.

"So, now that I've proved you wrong," he growled, "it's time to fly." He let her go suddenly, and she screaming at him again, throwing fireballs, flaring her ki with the sole intention of being able to fly just so he could shoot into the sky to knock him on his sorry ass.

Her ki flames burned brightly around her as she felt herself slow, stop, and then rise into the air. "That's it. Now go up. Fast," she ordered it. She righted herself as she slowly began to pick up speed, and searched for Goten's ki. Right there, on the ground, patiently waiting for her.

Goten almost wasn't ready for the assault as Rei flew into him like a bat out of hell, kicking and punching him with everything in her. He merely laughed at her while he blocked all of the attempts to kill him simply by ascending once again.

Rei started screaming every swear word she knew in Japanese at him when she found herself pinned face-first into a tree, her hands secured over her head at the wrists. A few of her choice phrases made him blush; her vulgar vocabulary was much more extensive than Usagi's. "LET ME GO!" She finally screamed.

"Meh… I don't know. I'm kind of enjoying this," he whispered in her ear. His free hand was busy trailing down her side while he imagined what her bare skin would feel like beneath his hand.

Rei felt a very real shiver of fear and lust as he pressed against her from behind; there was no mistaking the bulge pushing intimately against her thigh.

He bit down lightly on her shoulder before nuzzling it with the tip of his nose. "I want you."

She barely heard his words, he had breathed them against her skin so quietly, and she shook her head in protest. "I don't even know you." She felt him hesitate behind her, and that bolstered her resolve. "Now let me go."

Goten acquiesced to her soft, but firm order, releasing her wrists and turning her so he could kiss her. "Sorry," he murmured against her lips. "My father tried to explain it to me last night, but I'm having a really hard time controlling it. No," he ordered, when she tried to separate from him, and he pressed her tightly against the tree once more. "I can smell your fear… don't worry, I won't hurt you. Just hold still, while I try to get a handle on this, alright?"

Part of her still wanted to try and shove her foot in his ass, but Rei wasn't stupid. She knew, somewhere inside, that right then would be a very bad time to try and fight him when he was so obviously fighting himself and the urge to do something very primal to her. "I hate to ask, but what in the hell is wrong with you, and what did your dad explain?"

"It's the same thing Trunks went through when he first saw Usagi," he ground through his teeth. "I'm Saiyan. Saiyans know their mates on sight, and you're mine," he said simply, not caring if she balked at the bold statement. "And right now, I'm fighting the overwhelming urge to throw you to the ground and fuck you senseless."

Rei stiffened at that confession, but immediately stopped trying to push him away when his hold on her only tightened. "Could Usa's light maybe relax you or something?" She wondered out loud. Every urge to pummel him was being thrown right out the window. He was stronger than her, he was obviously trying his hardest not to hurt her, and she knew that if she made a wrong move, he'd be pouncing on her whether she liked it or not… though part of her was pretty sure she'd like it. God no, she was not even thinking of that.

"I don't know." Goten closed his eyes and focused, but found Usagi's ki still all the way out at the cabin, unmistakably joined with Trunks' energy signature. "Well," he said dryly, "she's not going to be much help. She's a bit busy at the moment."

"Oh." Rei took a deep breath, and willed herself to relax against him. "What did your dad say to do?"

"He said something about willpower, but it's all fuzzy right now." Goten's grip on her relaxed a little as her hands soothed over his back and chest. "That—that's helping, Rei. Keep doing that."

Rei smirked against his skin as her hands continued to make, slow, gentle patterns along his flesh. She gasped in surprise when his hand slid up to cup her face, and bring her lips to his in a gentle kiss. "I lied about the kissing," she admitted.

"Good. No one kisses you but me," he said flatly.

That spark that he loved seeing so much was back in her eyes, and she lightly shoved at him. "The last time I checked, Goten, you're _not_ my boyfriend. You're a friend of Usagi's… whatever he is… and I just met you _yesterday_. And whatever this is, with you and me, is some sort of hormonal insanity, and nothing more."

"So, you feel it, too."

"God, you're such a fucking blockhead. Is that seriously the only part of what I said that you heard?" She snapped.

"No," he growled softly, "I just chose to ignore the rest of it to keep from losing my shit. And I'm only keeping it in check right now because I know that you don't understand what's going on. I may seem stupid to you, Rei, but I'm not; so I'm just going to lay it all out for you.

"You're mine, just as Usa belongs to Trunks. You and I are going to date, and you're not going to see anyone else. Otherwise…" he shook his head viciously at the thought. "I don't even want to think of the alternative, so let's not even go there."

Rei knew exactly what he meant; he wouldn't hurt her, but any man that she chose to go on a date with was fair game, and would likely be turned into a bloody pulp. Well, it was a good thing she hadn't been on a date in years. Part of her wanted to scream and rail at him, but she suppressed it out of self-preservation. "Let's get something straight, Goten. I don't respond well to being ordered around."

The Saiyan in Goten rose up just then, and he pressed her against the tree as he kissed her forcefully, wanting nothing more than to bend her to his will. He only broke away when she was kissing him back just as passionately, her nails biting into his back. "Tell me with complete honesty that you don't want me, Rei, and I'll walk away. Kami help me if I ever see you with another man, though. I don't think he'd survive it." When she looked away and refused to answer, he kissed her again.

"FINE!" She yelled, shoving at him and yanking her lips away from his. "I feel it, too, just cut it the fuck out! Now, can we go back to training already!? I have a battle to prepare for, or did you forget that!?"

The old Goten was back, laughing at her as she screamed at him. "You really are cute as hell when you're mad." He kissed her quickly before releasing her, but entwined his fingers with hers. Maintaining contact was helping, and he told her so when she tried to jerk her hand from his.

"Ugh, fine. I suppose it beats pinning me to a tree." They began to walk back to the training grounds, but Rei stopped them suddenly. "Wait a minute, damn it. I want to lay some ground rules."

Goten's eyes lit up with interest. "You have my complete attention, babe."

"You want to date?" He nodded once, sharply. "Ok, we'll date. No touching below the waist, and no more goofy freak-outs like you just had. Understood?"

Goten gave a little shrug. "I can't totally promise that last part. I'm not sure what made me do it. I can only say that I'll try."

"Fine," she sighed, "that'll have to be good enough."

"I have my own terms, too." He held up a placating hand. "Hear me out, because this is important. You can't even touch unmated males; you didn't see the shitfit that Trunks had when he caught me sparring with Usa. If I'd been human, or weaker than him, I would be dead, most likely. Apparently it does something to us, and I don't even want to find out what that side of me is like, ok? Vegeta, Trunks, and my dad are ok to spar with, if you're not sparring with me, but stay the fuck away from my brother," he growled. "Even the thought of it is making me mad.

"And contact, whenever I need it. It seems to help. I know Trunks has said on more than one occasion that hugging or carrying Usagi through the air while they were fighting in the city made him feel a little more in control. Frankly, I don't know how in the hell he went a whole _year_ without jumping her!" He sputtered. "Dude's got mad fucking willpower, in my opinion."

"And you don't?"

"Nah, I've always been the impulsive one in the family." He grinned goofily, looking very much like Goku. "A bit too much like my dad for my own good." His eyes raked over her slowly, and he bent forward to nibble at her neck. "So I may as well tell you now, Rei… You're not going to like it, but you have a right to know."

"To know what?" She asked nervously. That haze of desire was back in his eyes, and it completely unnerved her.

"That your virginity's on an egg-timer."

################

Gohan felt his pulse race as a car pulled up and the remaining Senshi piled out of it, fixating on the woman behind the wheel. He'd watched the scene in the air with Rei and his brother, and he knew that there wasn't a chance in hell for that tactic to work on the object of his affections. She was too quiet, too reserved for that.

Damn it, he really was going to have to ask his dad for advice; just looking at her made him ache to kiss her into submission.

Ami stiffened as she climbed out of the car, her bag in hand. She felt eyes on her, and she had a good feeling as to who they belonged. It had to be that quiet young man that she'd immediately felt an attraction to only twenty-four hours before; well, apparently he'd felt it, too.

She turned slowly and they locked eyes for several moments before she blushed, gave a respectful little bow and ran off to the safety of her friends, who had sat beneath a tree.

"Gohan, right!?" Makoto yelled. "Where's everyone else!?"

Ami blushed as he approached, her sixth sense telling her that he was still watching her. She quickly dug a textbook out of her bag and pretended to study. There was no way she could even focus on quantum mechanics at the moment, but she could damn sure fake it.

"Trunks and Usagi should be coming back soon. They… took a break," he said with an easy grin. "Goten and Rei… I can feel their kis out in the woods, and it seems like they're taking a bit of a break, too."

"NUH-**UH**!" Minako shouted, jumping to her feet. "Rei _hates_ men! Well, wait. I mean, she's not like, a lesbian or anything. She just hates anything with a cock."

"It's the same as with Usagi and Trunks. Saiyan urges are kind of hard to curb. It takes a lot of willpower, and that is definitely something that Goten doesn't have. He's been courting Rei's ire since he started to teach her how to fly."

"Courting her ire?" Makoto asked. "God, that sounds like the way to date Rei, alright. Wait, that's all they're doing, right?"

Gohan shrugged. "After seeing her temper, I have no clue. If a Saiyan pisses off a woman, and she fights back, it's like she's saying, 'take me if you can.' And since Goten's stronger than her…"

Mako and Mina's eyes both hardened, while Ami just blushed and refused to look up. Those eyes were on her again, she could feel them burning into her very soul.

Gohan held his hands up in a peaceful gesture when Jupiter and Venus rose to their feet. "It's alright, a Saiyan can't hurt his mate," he assured them. "And since I haven't felt her ki flare, I'm sure she's ok. I've been keeping a mind's eye on it just in case I need to call my dad or Vegeta to pull him off of her."

Ami looked up at that and met his eyes for the second time since she'd arrived. "Thank you for keeping a watch out for Rei. Her temper tends to get the best of her."

"Sounds like a match made in heaven," Gohan replied smoothly, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Minako and Makoto exchanged knowing looks. "We're going to go spar for a while," Mako said brightly. "No, Ami, you stay here. Why don't you have Gohan show you a few moves?" She asked with a grin, thinking of a few moves in particular that Ami could definitely stand learning. The genius could definitely stand to experience a little romancing.

Ami turned impossibly redder and shook her head. "I wouldn't want to be any trouble," she muttered softly, and quickly returned to her book.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Gohan assured her. "Besides, that book's upside-down. You're not going to get much studying done like that."

Jupiter and Venus both giggled and quickly hurried off, and Gohan felt immensely grateful towards them for their consideration. He plopped down next to his blue-haired goddess, and studied her book as she quickly righted it. "Ah, Schrodinger's zombie cat."

Ami flipped to the next page, confusion written all over her face. "Zombie?"

Gohan chuckled and shook his head. "It's simultaneously alive and dead. Therefore, it must be a zombie. Sorry, bad joke, I know. You should hear some of the jokes that the guys and I make at school involving Pavlov's dog."

Ami's lips quirked up in a smile. "Such as?"

"Well… if the dog ate Schrodinger's cat, would it merely barf it up on the rug, or would it turn into a zombie, too?"

Ami laughed and relaxed, despite the feel of his arm smoothly going around her shoulders. "Well, if it was in the cage with the cat at the time, Schrodinger would either find both animals dead, or the very disturbing sight of a chewed-up kitty in the box when he returned!"

Both of them laughed hysterically at her uber-nerdy joke, but once it had died down, Ami found herself blushing at the realization that he had her pulled up against him, and his arm had moved to encircle her waist. "Son-san…"

"Gohan," he whispered hoarsely. "Call me Gohan."

"Gohan," she corrected just as quietly. "Is—is this like what Goten and Trunks…?"

He nodded a little, his face drawing closer to hers. "Yeah, it is. Ami, I know we just met yesterday, but I think I'm going to die if I don't kiss you," he admitted hoarsely.

"Can you wait five minutes?" She asked quickly.

Floored by such an odd request, Gohan reluctantly pulled away. "I… sure, I think I can, at least. Why?"

Ami smiled hesitantly and dug in her bag, pulling out her mini-computer. "For the sake of science." She flipped it open, and suddenly she was confident and matter-of-fact, completely the opposite of how she'd been only moments before. "I was thinking about it last night, and now seems like the perfect time to test a theory that I have about Saiyan hormones," she said absently, pecking away at her keyboard.

"I felt the attraction to you yesterday, and did some readings with my computer while no one was paying attention. I found the usual stuff in the air, but I also found pheromones. Now, those could have been Trunks's or Goten's, but now that I've got you alone, I can figure it out for sure."

Gohan grinned a little at her single-mindedness as she typed furiously. "You're gorgeous when you geek out, Blue."

"Mmhm," she replied, not even paying attention to him anymore. She was too busy reading results on her screen. "Yes, just as I suspected. There is a very strong presence of pheromones in the air, all containing feel-good hormones that would arouse a female… eh, not yet," she added quickly, when he tried to bend in to kiss her. "I'm going to use myself as a control in this experiment, since I haven't been tampered with, yet."

"Tampered?" Gohan snorted.

Ami nodded. "You haven't touched my skin yet, or kissed me, and I suspect… well, I'll show you in a moment." She pulled a pair of gloves from her bag and some medical equipment. "Can I get a skin sample, a blood sample, and a swab from your mouth?"

"Eh… I don't know about that. We try to keep the whole Saiyan thing a secret. I wouldn't want any samples getting into the wrong hands."

"I'll destroy the samples after I've used them, Gohan. Only the data on my computer will remain, and no one can read it but me. The display only reads in Mercurian, and it's a dead language." Her face lit up with something close to glee when he offered his arm. "Thank you so much, Gohan. I'd hug you in gratitude, but…"

"No tampering with the control subject, I know," he chuckled. He lowered his ki so she could take a bit of skin and blood, and opened his mouth for the swab. He was surprised to see her do the same to herself with a new set of instruments, and gaped at her little computer when a tray popped out for each new sample. "Where can I get one of those?"

"Mercury, before it was purged," she said a little sadly. She took off her gloves and waited patiently while her computer processed all of the data she'd just given it. "We were a hub of technology and learning during the Silver Millennium, centuries ago." She held up a hand to cut him off when he tried to open his mouth to apologize for bringing up what was obviously a painful subject. "It's alright, I just don't want to talk about it."

Gohan nodded. "I understand. Sorry." He felt a little better when her eyes lit up with interest when her computer beeped. "What does it say?"

"I was right! You Saiyan males emit pheromones to attract a mate, but I have no earthly idea why it only affects one woman... my blood readings are showing a hormonal reaction resulting arousal. And your skin… wow. Your saliva, too, no wonder."

"What?"

"Oxytocin, and dopamine. But mostly oxytocin. It's the—"

"The feel-good love hormone, I know. That explains an awful lot about the effect mating marks have on females." He had a sudden image flash in his mind, of him running his tongue along her collarbone, yanking her blouse down, and sinking his teeth into her shoulder. The look on her face in his fantasy…

"Gohan?" Ami asked nervously. God, the way he was looking at her…

"Five minutes are up."-

Her stomach flip-flopped when his lips crashed into hers, and he was suddenly on top of her, shoving her to the grass, and plundering her mouth mercilessly with his own. She gave a whimper of surrender when his tongue plunged between her lips to taste her, and found herself raising her hips against his. God, this was her first kiss, and her head was already spinning? It was just the hormones, she told herself. They were drugging her, making her feel wonderful. It was just some sort of Saiyan reproductive mechanism that made it easier to make a female accept the advances of a prospective male.

Ami swam her way up through the haze of lust to find his hands all over her, having long before found their way up her shirt to sneak under her bra. She wrenched her mouth from his, and her toes curled as his lips didn't let up their assault; they merely moved on to a brand-new location, and trailed up her neck to her earlobe. "Gohan," she gasped, "please stop. We really need to stop."

Never mind that her body was begging him _not _to stop. Ami felt bereft when he pulled away from her, breathing heavily, the strain of doing so obvious on his face. "Sorry," he said, a hint of a growl in his voice. "I've never tasted anything so good in my life, Ami. I want more."

Her hands trembled as she slowly sat up and resisted the urge to freeze him and thaw him out with her tongue. "I never thought my first kiss would be so intense," she said, her eyes wide.

Gohan groaned. "I didn't know, Ami, I'm sorry." He shook his head in remorse before looking back up at her. "Come here, let me make it up to you." He gave her a shaky smile when she scooted back a little and shook her head, and reached out to snag her ankle and drag her back to him.

Ami squeaked in surprise when she found herself pinned down beneath him, but stopped squirming when his lips brushed against hers, barely tasting her. "Oh… that was…" She was cut off when he kissed her again, firmer, but still nowhere near as intensely as the very first time. Mercury's hands ran through his hair encouragingly as he kept it as light as possible, kissing her as gently as the Saiyan in him would allow. "Much better," she whispered, as he nipped at her jawline and made his way slowly to her collarbone. "I know it's just the hormone in your kisses, but I feel so wonderful, Gohan."

"If you think that this feels great, I could do some other things that would completely blow your mind, Ami."

She shivered at the hint of promise in his voice, mixed with hope and longing. "Blood samples, Gohan. I need to take my own blood samples, first."

He groaned and jerked back, completely separating himself from her. "The nerd thing is adorable on you, Ami, but—wait, did you say 'first?'" A single obsidian brow rose when she blushed and nodded timidly. The Saiyan in him immediately backed down at her shy confirmation, but Gohan was skeptical. "You're serious? I know I'm going to regret asking, but why?"

"Because I want to," she answered simply. "And a little bit of the reason is so I can run tests on my blood afterwards. But mostly because I want to," she finished timidly, unable to meet his eyes. "Is… is that ok?"

Gohan nodded his head in wonder. "I… I just thought that…"

"That I'd want to wait?" Ami turned beet red and shook her head vigorously. "No. I've never wanted to do this—not with _any_ man. Not until now. I'm twenty-three, Gohan, and you're my first kiss. I'm a grown woman, for God's sake. I know what I want, and I want you." The color in her face crept down her neck and up to her ears as he just continued to look at her like she was some sort of holy miracle. "I'm not the type to hold back, Gohan, and I've already considered this all rationally. It's going to end up with the same result, no matter what I do. It might as well be now."

He bent his head to bite down lightly on her shoulder. "Get your samples, Ami. Then you're coming with me." _In more ways than one._

"Ok," she breathed, boldly flicking her tongue against his pulse. Her hands shook as she tried to get the blood sample, and she flushed with utter embarrassment when he took the needle from her with barely contained mirth.

"I like knowing that I have such an effect on you," he chuckled. "But if you think you're shaking now, just wait until I get you in my bed." Gohan shook his head and smiled reassuringly when he smelled a hint of fear mixed in with her arousal. "Don't be scared, Ami, I won't hurt you, I swear it." He quickly drew her blood into the syringe, capped it, and handed it back to her.

Ami took the blood, and quickly put the sample into her computer. She smiled when it confirmed her suspicions. "High levels of oxytocin of a male origin."

"Heh, I'm like a parasite in your bloodstream."

"That's reassuring," she deadpanned. She felt his eyes on her again- they were practically burning her—and she slowly met his gaze.

"Ready?" He asked huskily, licking his lips.

Ami followed the path his tongue made, mesmerized by such a simple motion. "Yes." She yelped when he lifted her, and shook her head vigorously. "No, Gohan, no flying! I'm terrified of heights!"

"Oh." He set her down carefully and held her against him tightly. "Sorry about that, I didn't know. We'll walk," he sighed. "We'll walk really fast."

Ami couldn't stifle a laugh as he tugged on her arm, leading her towards the house. "Is someone in a hurry?"

"I won't be when you're naked," he grunted. "But until then, yes, I am." Gohan glanced back at the woods and swore.

Ami followed his line of sight and swore, too. "Can you call your dad or Vegeta and ask them to keep an eye on Rei's ki? She's not the type to just…" she blushed profusely as she realized that that statement clearly labeled her as "the type." "I mean… ugh, never mind."

Gohan shook his head and tugged her through the kitchen door. "She's not as mature, accepting, and confident as you. She doesn't know what she wants." He sensed his father's ki close by and flared his several times to get his attention.

"Yeah, son?" Goku asked, appearing via instant transmission.

"Goten's trying to stake his claim on Rei, and I was monitoring them from a ways away to make sure he didn't lose what little control he has to begin with."

Goku frowned deeply. "You need me to handle it?"

"No!" Ami said quickly, stepping forward. "Just… watch them for a little while, like Gohan was? Please?"

"Oh, sure! Why, are you two going to train?" He grinned when Gohan merely smirked and Ami turned red. "Oh… well then!" He said brightly. "I won't keep you! Your mom's at Capsule Corp for the next couple hours, so you shouldn't be interrupted."

He vanished again before Gohan could thank him. Ami gasped when he suddenly scooped her up and carried her to a bedroom that smelled like him. Other than the fact that it clearly belonged to a man, it reminded her a lot of her own; it was littered with books and had three computers, each of them clearly serving their own purpose, just like her own.

"You sure about this?"

Ami nodded, and pulled him down for a kiss the moment he'd laid her on the bed. She blushed when he shook his head and pulled away. "Sorry," she sputtered with embarrassment, "I don't know what I'm doing."

He smirked. "Neither do I. I'm Saiyan, Ami. You're my first, and my last."

"Please tell me that you know _how_ it's done," she snorted. Thank God she was a doctor; if it came down to it, she knew exactly what to do. At least six years of accelerated med school hadn't been wasted!

"Ami, I'm a man. I saw my share of porn in college." He laughed when she turned bright red all over again, and got out of the bed for a moment to draw the blinds and the curtains, and lock the door. "There, just in case my little brother gets any ideas… I don't think he will, though, since he's sure to be occupied for a little while." He crossed back over to the bed and lay down beside her. "Now, where were we?"

He purred with pleasure when she pressed her lips against his hesitantly at first, and immediately responded to the kiss, pulling her flush against him as he took control and slipped his tongue in her mouth to dance with her own.

Ami gave a helpless moan when he began to unbutton her blouse, her own hands tugging at his gi. Their kiss grew more heated as it continued, and by the time they broke away for a moment to catch their breath, her blouse was on the floor and his shirt was pushed up to the middle of his chest. Gohan abruptly sat up and jerked the offending clothing over his head before going back to kissing her and running his hands along her newly bared skin.

Ami tugged at his pants as his hand slipped under her bra to cup her, and when he plucked her hand from the hem, she chuckled and chose to rub against him instead. She was rewarded with a groan of satisfaction as he rolled on top of her, grinding his hips against her desperately.

"Kami, woman, I want you so badly." He groaned again when she wrapped her legs around his hips, meeting his thrust as she drug her lips down his naked chest, nipping him occasionally. "Don't bite me," he warned. "I think I'll lose any control I have if you do."

Ami nodded wordlessly, fastening her mouth to his flat nipple as her hands wandered to his lower back and pressed him tightly against her. Her lips lit a trail of fire as they travelled back up to his neck, then his collarbone, finally reaching his shoulder. She bit down lightly, partly out of the urge to do so, and partly out of sheer curiosity. She wanted to know what his reaction would be, and she wasn't disappointed.

Gohan growled deep in his throat and pinned her down. "Not yet," he ordered. There was a sudden rip, and Ami found herself whimpering his name as his head dipped and something warm and wet closed over her breast, suckling her lazily.

"Please, Gohan." She gasped with pleasure when he jerked her skirt and her underwear from her hips in one swift motion, finally baring her completely. He wasted no time, immediately sliding his hand between her legs to stroke her.

Ami arched against him and moaned, dragging his mouth up to her own to kiss him furiously as a delicious heat pooled in her stomach, growing and spreading with every motion of his fingers. "Gohan, please, I need you," she gasped in desperation, once again pulling at his pants.

"Not yet, Blue." He nipped at her jawline, slowly trailing his mouth over her neck. Her cries were reaching a fever pitch, her nails were digging into his back and his hip, and he waited, torturing her, keeping her hanging on the edge for several minutes.

Ami found herself begging him in Japanese before long, so overwhelmed that she'd reverted to her mothertongue. She cried out in ecstasy when he bit down on her shoulder savagely just as she finally came, breaking the skin. The pain was rapidly replaced with an overwhelming euphoria, and the primal need to feel him buried inside of her. "Now, Gohan, please. Now."

Unable to resist temptation any longer, Gohan hurriedly stripped the rest of his gi and lifted her hips against him as he pressed his entry. He was slow and careful, gauging her reaction, until he pressed against her barrier.

Ami raked her teeth over his shoulder slowly when he hesitated. "Do it," she gasped. "I need all of you." She bit down fiercely when he thrust forward, groaning at the mix of pain and pleasure, the effects of his bite still overwhelming her.

"Mine." Gohan's hands gripped her hips tightly as he moved inside of her slowly, fighting the urge to slam inside of her.

"Yours," she whimpered in surrender. Ami clutched at him and buried her face in his chest as a ripple of pain-laced pleasure ran through her body. "It hurts, Gohan."

He visibly shook as he slid inside of her to the hilt and ceased his movements. "Sorry, Blue, you just feel so damned good. Tell me when you're ready."

"Just kiss me," she whispered, sighing with pleasure as he did so gently, exploring her mouth in an easy, unhurried fashion. He had her now, there was no longer an insane urgency to claim her like there had been only minutes before.

Ami could feel herself growing aroused once more as his mouth and hands began lighting little trails of flame over her flesh, and found her hips arching, telling him silently that she was ready.

Gohan moaned something incoherent as he moved inside her, relishing her tightness, her perfection.

She murmured with approval when he suddenly shuddered, his eyes rolling back as he moaned her name.

"Kami, Blue, I'm sorry," he groaned, his hands smoothing over her body as he laid his head against her breast. "I couldn't stop myself, it just felt too wonderful."

She giggled, something she rarely did, and made soothing little patterns on his back with her nails. "It's alright, Gohan, it was your first time; it's to be expected… and frankly, I'm a little flattered that I made you finish so quickly. I guess we're about to find out how long the refractory period is for a Saiyan."

"Kami, Blue, you're so fucking hot when you get nerdy!" Gohan chuckled, running his tongue along her mating mark. She did the same to him, and he felt himself immediately begin to harden again. "Well, I'd say that was less than a minute."

"Oh, my." Ami shook her head in wonder at this sexy, chiseled, perfect man. Damn it, he was just too good to be true.

#####################

"Where is Ami?"

Goku grinned, and simply tipped his head towards the house. "I think we should just leave them alone for a while, they seemed like they didn't want to be disturbed." His grinned widened, and matched his younger son's goofy expression when Rei just gaped and stuttered.

"You mean she's in there with **Gohan!?**" She finally managed, visibly fuming. "But—but—that's Ami! She's likely the shiest creature on this damned rock!"

"What, Pyro? Are you jealous that she beat you to the punch?" Goten teased mercilessly. She turned that fury of hers on him, and his eyes danced with delight at provoking that wonderful temper.

"Ami's also a lot more mature than Rei," Minako said bluntly from behind them. "And she doesn't hesitate when she knows that she wants something."

"Why, you…"

Minako's lovechain materialized in her hand, and she flicked it out, easily batting away the fireball that Rei threw at her.

Goten moved quickly to avoid his future mate getting into a brawl with the Senshi of Love, going swiftly to Super Saiyan and wrestling her to the ground. "If you're mad, Pyro, I'm more than willing to spar."

Rei gave a token struggle, then huffed in frustration. Damn it, he was stronger than her, there was no denying that. There was also no denying the fact that she actually _enjoyed_ the feeling of being pinned down by Goten… God, was she some sort of deviant or something? "Not with you," she finally ground through her teeth. "Let me up."

Goten happily complied when he smelled her hint of arousal. He'd have to remember that for use in the future; apparently his little pyro liked being dominated a little bit. "Where are you going, beautiful?"

Rei didn't even look back as she flew towards the gravity room and banged once on the door, flaring her ki. She felt Vegeta's ki flare brightly in response, and a few moments later the door opened.

"What, girl." He growled. Kami, he hated being bothered during training time, why couldn't any of these whelps figure it out!?

She shot a nervous glance behind her back when she felt Goten's ki coming their way. "Could I train with you, sensei? I can fly now." When it looked like he was going to shake his head, her eyes went wide. "_Please_!?"

Vegeta smelled her sudden fear, and hadn't missed the way she kept glancing over her shoulder. Hm, it seemed that Goten was closing in. How interesting. "You can only hide for so long, girl."

Rei didn't waste any time darting in behind him when he opened the door just wide enough to let her in. "Anyway I can just make him fuck off and leave me alone?" She asked hopefully.

"Did he bite you?" Vegeta smirked when she furiously shook her head, her violet eyes wide with fear. "You can fight him off, but somehow I don't see that happening," he chuckled. "Have you tried a knee to the groin?"

"Not yet," she admitted, "but it's becoming a better option with every passing minute." Jumping a mile high, she ducked behind Vegeta when a fist pounded on the door.

"I'm training, brat, FUCK OFF!" Vegeta bellowed. He masked a grin when Goten's ki flared angrily and the doorknob jiggled. "BRAT, IF ONE MORE OF YOU COMES IN HERE AND TRIES TO BOTHER ME, I WILL FINAL FLASH YOUR ASS INTO THE NEXT DIMENSION!"

The door knob froze, and Goten's ki backed off. Vegeta did _not _bluff.

"Arigato, sensei," Rei breathed softly, giving him a naked look of gratitude. "I _hate_ this. It's a problem I can't solve by setting someone's hair on fire."

"Don't thank me too fast, girl. You want to train? You're going to train. Transform into that sissy-looking skirt thing you girls all wear."

Rei visibly brightened, and nodded before throwing her crystal pen up. "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!" A flash of red light, and some brief nudity, and she stood there as Sailor Mars.

Vegeta walked right over to the control panel and cranked the gravity up to 100 times that of Earth's. "Feh." Rei was still standing there, arms folded, waiting for him to tell her what to do. She should have been flattened on the floor, begging him to turn the gravity off. Damn it, this girl was no fun. He cranked it higher, up to 300Gs, where he'd had it before she'd walked in.

Still nothing. Well, at least this wasn't a total loss. He could train her in here, and wouldn't be wasting any time he could be using in the gravity room. "Alright, girl." Vegeta cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. "Get your ki as high as you can without burning yourself, then come at me. I'll keep mine at the same level as yours… which is next to nothing."

Rei heard the contempt in his voice, and took a fighting stance, waiting for him to come at her. She didn't have to wait long; he was on her in moments, trying to land a hit, taking out his frustrations for being constantly interrupted during his daily routine.

Vegeta backed off for just a second when he landed a punch to her jaw, and grunted with approval when his student only spat out some blood and flew at him, her eyes blazing with fury. "Good, you don't whine… at least not about getting hit."

"Are you implying that I whine about other things?" Rei snarled, coming at him in a flurry of fire-wrapped kicks. They were all expertly blocked, but she could smell the hair on his arms crisping from the contact.

"You actually ran from an opponent, brat. That counts as whining," he snorted with amusement, and easily dodged a fire-shaped bird when it flew at him.

"Goten's not an opponent! He's a brainless, perverted baka that's trying to get up my fuku!" Flipping back, she narrowly missed getting kicked in the face, and countered with another blast of fire.

"He's your mate, girly, or did you miss the fact that we Saiyans only pursue _one_ woman? I saw him watching you yesterday, and Kakarot's older brat couldn't tear his eyes away from your blue-haired friend."

Rei stopped for a moment and held up her hand for a break. She was already pouring sweat, and gratefully accepted the towel he threw at her to wipe her face and arms. "How do I get him to leave me alone?"

Vegeta grunted and lifted one shoulder, feeling a brief pang of sympathy for Goten. "You can completely reject him. But to abjure him like that… I don't think you're that heartless, girl. That's a very serious thing, in Saiyan culture. Do you truly hate him?"

Was Vegeta… mad? She was sure, for just a second, there, she'd seen a flicker of anger in his eyes. She groaned and laid her head back against the wall. "No, I don't _hate_ him." She studied her teacher for a moment, and couldn't help herself. "How was it for you? Did you also act like a complete raving lunatic when you met your…" She blushed in embarrassment. "…mate?"

The Prince of all Saiyans' face colored, and he shook his head. "That's none of your damned business, girl. But no, I didn't act like a total retard." He'd subtly chased Bulma for months, in his own fashion, making sure that she saw him stripped to the waist as often as possible when he'd first stayed at Capsule Corp. He wasn't even going to think of the pull he'd felt towards her back on Namek, and how it had taken every ounce of willpower to totally ignore it. "I was five years older than that brat, and I have a lot more restraint than he does," he finally ground through his teeth.

"Well, duh. Goten is the very definition of unrestrained." Taking a swig of water, her eyes grew thoughtful. "So, what are my options, then? I set boundaries, and he seemed ok with those."

"Well, then, there's nothing else you can do," Vegeta replied with amusement. "If you set boundaries of any kind, you've given him permission to pursue you within the rules that you've meted out." He grinned when she blanched. "You're stuck with him, girly, and I'm not letting you hide behind me anymore."

"But… what about training?" Rei snapped, the words coming out dangerously close to a whine. Violet eyes went wide when Vegeta suddenly flared his ki in a funny pattern, and she instinctively knew he was signaling Goten. Whether because she'd whined, or because he found all of this amusing, she wasn't sure. Probably a bit of both. "Oh, you bastard!" She screamed at him, throwing her waterbottle in his face.

He deftly caught it, chuckling under his breath as he turned off the gravity. "Well, you brats keep bothering me, so I might as well get some entertainment out of it."

Stalking towards her, Vegeta dashed forward and snapped Rei up by her arms, pinning them behind her back, just as the door to the gravity room swung open. "Here, brat, I've got a present for you," he chuckled, barely loud enough to be heard over the curses coming from his student. Golden bands encircled her wrists and legs, and Vegeta scooped her up and dumped her in Goten's waiting arms. "They aren't very strong, brat, you shouldn't have a problem breaking them… well, I'd leave the bonds on her wrists alone. It'd be more fun."

Goten simply grinned ear to ear while he cradled his furious, struggling little bundle of princess. "Vegeta, I think this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever received," he laughed. "Why, thank you!"

"You're welcome," he grunted. "Now… get the FUCK out of my gravity room, and if either of you comes back in here—"

"Yeah, we know. Final Flash, next dimension, we've heard it!" Rei yelled, still struggling futilely against a very happy Goten. "Bring the Final Flash, sensei, _anything's_ better than this! LET ME GO!"

"Tousan? What's going on?" Gaping at the scene in front of her, she rushed to Rei's side. "What are you doing? Why is Rei tied up!?" Silver ki flames surrounded her, but she was jerked back roughly by her new father.

"She's mine," Goten answered simply. Rei's curses fell on deaf ears as he turned and walked out of the gravity room, shooting into the air, back towards the woods.

"Oh my. So Goten…?" Usagi's eyes got wide when Vegeta simply nodded.

"Your blue-haired friend, too, and Kakarot's other brat. I don't think she put up a fight, though. She seemed pretty sensible when I met her. Now… what do you want? I'm a Saiyan prince, damn it, not a matchmaker, and I'm getting pissed at all of these interruptions!" He watched her suddenly frown, and folded his arms over his chest, waiting for her to spit it out.

"I just… Trunks told me to wait a couple of weeks, but I wondered…" Sighing, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's an awfully personal question."

Having been bothered with one super-personal question from one student already, Vegeta groaned. "It had better not have anything to do with mating, or I'm kicking you out of here, girl."

Usagi shook her head and visibly paled. "Ew, Tousan." At that, he was obviously waiting for her to speak, and she wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying her hardest not to shake at the thought of her captivity. "How did you deal with it? Trunks… he told me you'd have bad dreams…"

The prince sighed and tugged her into his arms, hugging her comfortingly. There wasn't a chance he would have done it if anyone had been watching, but since it was just them, he made an exception. He wasn't a monster. "Waking nightmares, too?" He tucked her head under his jaw when she made a little noise, her fear filling the air. "It'll get better with time, girl.

"I still have moments where I wonder where I am, when I can't believe for the life of me that I'm no longer the monster that I was."

"You go cold a lot."

"Yes. All the time, if you haven't noticed. It's easier."

"How… how long?" Usagi asked, shivering against him.

"Years, girl. Since I was ten. I was about your age when I staged a mutiny and escaped." He patted her back. "You were held for eight days… and you're strong. And none of us are going to let them take you a second time."

Usagi looked up in surprise when Vegeta kissed her forehead, but wasn't shocked when he suddenly shoved her away. "Thank you, Tousan."

"Ugh, you're welcome, girl. Now get the fuck out of my gravity room and go spar with your mate. You brats are all making me look soft."

The princess of the moon smirked at him. "You're not soft, Tousan," she told him, before closing the gravity room door behind her.

##################

"Try to bite me again and I'll kiss lower," Goten teased. He fisted his hand in Rei's hair and held her head in place as she snapped her teeth at him again when he tried to kiss her. "Have it your way, Pyro."

Rei struggled and bucked in his lap when his lips descended to her pale throat, and he began to nibble at her, switching between using his teeth and soothing the same spots with his tongue. Finding herself ready to beg for her freedom, she whimpered in frustration. "Please don't, Goten…"

He smelled her fear and sighed. "I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do," he grumbled. "Seriously, Pyro? You really think I'd hurt you?" Those violet eyes looked up at him, and told him that she clearly was terrified that he might. "Ugh, you really don't know me. Hold still."

Goten easily snapped the three ki rings around her legs, and sat her up so that she was straddling his lap. "I love seeing you pissed off, but I won't stand to see you scared," he said seriously.

Rei blinked when his lips brushed over hers tenderly before he pulled her into a tight embrace. Her chin rested on his shoulder, and her eyes fluttered shut as his hands made soft, soothing motions up and down her back. Gradually she relaxed against him.

"That's better. Hm, I could hold you like this all day, Pyro. Kami, this is better than Christmas, having you tied up and dumped in my arms." His heart skipped a beat when he felt Rei's mouth press against his neck for a bare second before it hastily retreated, leaving behind a warm, tingling feeling on his skin.

"Don't get any ideas," she grumbled. "That was just a thank you for stopping."

"I do suppose you'd do it again?" God, that had felt so… awesome.

"Will you untie my wrists?"

He heard the hope in her voice, but shook his head. "For that, Pyro, you're going to have to give me a lot more than a little peck on the neck." Goten's head rolled back and he moaned softly when her teeth closed gently over his collarbone and she began to treat his neck with the same courtesy that he'd just bestowed on hers. Not able to help himself, he wrenched her mouth from his throat after a couple of minutes and claimed it with his own.

Rei gasped into his mouth when he lifted his hips, grinding his erection into her core, and mentally cursed herself when she felt a tingle of pleasure run through her. She couldn't bring herself to bite down when his tongue plunged into her mouth to duel with hers, while his hips continued to move, making her feel weak and compliant. And damn it, why was the fact that her arms were bound turning her on so much!?

A needy groan came out of Goten when Rei's pelvis suddenly rocked over his, and she let out a tiny whimper of desire. "That feel good, Pyro?" He took control of her hips and began to move them in time with his own as his mouth lowered to worship her breasts through her fuku.

"We—we need to stop," Rei said breathlessly. "Please, Goten—" Her words got stuck in her throat when he ground against her heat through the thin cloth between her legs. Damn it, why didn't these uniforms have underwear beneath them!?

"Kami, you're so fucking hot. I think I'm in love, Rei." He continued to grind against her, focusing on giving her pleasure, despite the fact that he was actually getting close to losing every bit of control he had. "Can you come for me like this, Rei?" He whispered in her ear. "I want you to."

"Goten," she gasped, nodding a little, "slower. Not so fast." She was close, she could feel it, even though she'd never experienced that kind of pleasure before. "Sweet Ares…"

Following her lead, he let her set the pace as she gracefully rolled her hips forward, letting her body instinctively ride him. "That's right, sexy. Get yourself off on me," he purred.

"You too," she whimpered. "Can you…?"

Goten nodded, moving his mouth back down to nibble and suck at her breasts. "I will when you do, don't worry."

She nodded, her head thrown back in ecstasy, as waves of pleasure coursed through her with every movement of their bodies. Rei moaned when she felt his teeth at her shoulder, biting down lightly. It felt so good, but if he bit her, didn't that mean…?

As if reading her thoughts, Goten pulled her hips down against him, moving a little faster. "It just means that you're mine, Rei. Let me mark you," he growled. "I won't actually claim you yet, I can wait. Just… don't bite me back, or I'll have to take you."

"I—I—ok," she answered helplessly, pressing her shoulder against his mouth as she felt herself beginning to crest towards completion. She felt her bodice tear, and a rush of cool air against her skin all the way to the top of her breast, before Goten's teeth clamped down on her shoulder. The bond around her wrists snapped when he touched it, and she found herself cradling his head to her as he bit down harder.

Her hips suddenly bucked violently against his and she cried out. "Goten—" She was silenced as he kissed her roughly, still thrusting to ride out her pleasure as he came with her, groaning into her mouth.

Trembling in the afterglow, Rei laid her head against his shoulder while he slowly ran his tongue over her mating mark, pleasure curling through her body with every stroke.

Goten chuckled after a few minutes of this calm, very un-Rei-like behavior. "You always this docile after an orgasm?"

"Shut up," she purred, unable to even raise her head to yell at him.

"Your first?" He nipped at the bite, bringing up some fresh blood, making his mate sigh happily.

"Mmmhm."

"How was it?" He asked, knowing it had to have been amazing to cause such a change in her demeanor. His own had been stellar, but he was a guy, and like almost all guys, he'd been taking care of his own urges since he was fifteen.

"Mmmm." Rei turned her head, still resting on his shoulder, and nuzzled his neck.

"That good, huh?" He chortled, and stopped licking her mark just long enough to give her a slow, toe-curling kiss. He sighed with contentment when he pulled away she gave him a lazy little smile. "I think I'll be able to wait a while if we do this on a regular basis, Pyro."

"Sounds good," she mumbled, running her fingers down his bare back.

**Ok, so more shameless lemony freshness in this chapter. I simply felt guilty with the original ending (which is coming up), where they finally paired off (same pairings) but nothing happened, since it was the end of the fic. Something like that, anyway. So, for you Ami/Gohan and Rei/Goten (this means you, Ana!) fans, I hope you enjoyed it! Now… on to the friggin ending already! In the words of Monty Python: GET ON WITH IT! **

**Now… review are much appreciated, thank yall!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Here it is, yall, the long-awaited conclusion… or is it?**

After a little more slow and gentle necking, Rei came down from her post-orgasmic high to slide out of Goten's lap and detransform. "We should really go train. The battle tonight is likely going to need every ounce of our powers."

The Saiyan snorted and shook his head. "Nah, if things get hairy, we'll take care of it. I'll be amazed if Trunks doesn't handle it all on his own."

"Yeah, we'll see about that. Just remember that the youma always have a few tricks up their sleeves." Rei frowned when he pulled her against his chest and took in her scent. "Do you always have to be this clingy?"

"You like it, don't pretend, Pyro."

She pulled away when he nuzzled her neck, sending shivers down her spine. "Whatever," she replied noncommittally. "Are we going to train or not?"

Goten shrugged, hoping for some more contact with his little fire goddess, but knew she would likely be more amenable if he gave her what she wanted. "What do you want to learn?"

"Anything that will be useful for tonight. What about ki blasts?"

Goten shook his head. "No, if anything, you need to work on your technique. It's good, don't get me wrong," he added quickly, when she looked a little hurt at his assessment, "but it could definitely use some work. When you fought Vegeta earlier, did it seem like he was really holding back? Not just matching your ki to keep things fair?"

Rei swore under her breath as she recalled that very first test. Yes, he had been holding back. A lot. And he'd blatantly ignored several opportunities to take advantage of openings. "He'd probably never admit it, but yeah, he did."

"It's ok, Pyro, come on. We'll work on it." Goten yanked her in for a kiss, pleased when she didn't fight him, and even more pleased when she gradually returned it. "Maybe we can take a break before we leave for the city?" He whispered, smelling a hint of arousal from her. "I'd like to get you off again."

Rei blushed at the possessive tone of his voice, and the promise in his words. She only got redder as she recalled the feel of his hands on her and the firmness of him as he'd ground against her only a little while ago.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed," he chuckled, nipping at the mark under her shirt. "Maybe you'll let me undress you this time?" Goten laughed when her blush travelled down her neck and up to her ears.

Rei swallowed hard, wanting to yell at him, but finding herself unable to. The idea of his hands and mouth on her bare skin this time… Sweet Ares, the thought was just downright erotic. "Can we go train now?" She asked a little meekly, completely out of character for her.

"Sure, Pyro." He scooped her up, ignoring her protests, and shot into the sky, heading for the ki signatures of the other Saiyans, and was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone was training with someone. Ami and Gohan had even returned.

Rei gawked, her eyes landing on Sailor Mercury. "Damn, look at her go!"

"It's the bond," Goten said absently, studying the pair closely. "Gohan's instructing her mentally, since he's claimed her. I imagine that it makes teaching a lot easier. He can just show her what needs to be done, and she can react accordingly."

"Wow…" Mars studied Goten in an entirely new light. "So, if we had…?"

"Yup," he chuckled. "Too bad you missed out on that particular advantage, huh?"

Her eyes flashed with annoyance. "Advantage? You being in my head's an advantage? Shit, I think I'd go out of my fucking mind, seeing whatever it is you think about all day long. Baka." Not to mention that they'd probably never get anything done. No doubt, the thoughts running around in his mind likely leaned more towards sex than anything else.

"I think you'd be pleasantly surprised to know what I've been thinking of lately," he purred, pulling her to him for a toe-curling kiss. Goten pulled away when he felt eyes on him.

Rei blushed head to toe to find that everyone had stopped what they were doing, and the Senshi in particular were all grinning at her. "This ain't some peepshow!" She yelled, glad to be able to revert to using her temper. Screaming at people was safe, and normal, and she didn't have to think about what being near Goten was doing to her emotions whenever she was ranting at someone.

"Sorry, Rei!" Usagi yelled back pleasantly. She returned to the playful sparring that her and Trunks were engaged in, while Vegeta gave her pointers in between the blows he was exchanging with Goku.

Trunks was turning out to be a wonderful sparring partner, since he was mentally distracting her with thoughts of torn fukus and fantasies of running his tongue over certain parts of her anatomy. Usagi merely returned the favor, and smirked with triumph when a punch he was swinging faltered, giving her time to dodge. "Too much for you, Stranger?"

Trunks shivered a little at the image she'd sent him, her lips wrapped around him as his head leaned back against a wall, his mouth hanging open as he moaned. "I want that after the fuku," he growled.

"What about what I had in mind earlier?" She teased, flying at him again and laughing as she landed a kick. "You're slipping, Stranger. Stop fighting like a girl."

"The girl's right, brat!" Vegeta yelled down, not taking his attention from Kakarot for an instant. "Never let anything distract you from battle!"

"What if she's giving me pictures of blowjobs in my head, Father!?" Trunks shouted back, embarrassing Usagi enough to land a couple light punches of his own. She'd have a couple little bruises, but hey, this was sparring, and it's not like he was hitting her with the intention of hurting her.

"Boy, if I let shit like that distract me, I'd never take a break from fucking your mother," Vegeta shot back, fending off his opponent with a barrage of ki blasts. "And she thinks of far more… creative… things than blowjobs," he snickered.

It was Usagi's turn to land a few blows, since Trunks' head had whipped around, and he was gaping at his father in a mixture of disgust and mortification. "Father!" He yelled. "That's my mom, damn it!"

"That she is, brat. She's also the best damned lay in the universe," Vegeta added, tipping Usagi a discreet wink when she sent Trunks flying.

"Sounds like your mom's quite the freak, beloved," Usagi teased, once he'd made his way back over, a little dazed at his father's ribbing.

"You have no idea, girl!" Vegeta shouted from high above. "I'll have to tell you the story about how—"

"FATHER! SHUT UP!" Trunks yelled, flinging a ki blast at him without thinking. It was easily deflected at Goku, who it hit square in the chest.

Usagi took advantage of his inattention yet again, but instead of hitting him, she yanked him to her for a toe-curling kiss. "Come on, Stranger, stop dicking around, we've only got a few hours left."

After another hour of training, the girls all collectively called a time-out, needing to find something to eat. The truce lasted a little longer than they'd meant it to when Rei and Goten didn't return at the appointed time. But when the Senshi of war finally returned, looking flushed and sated, they resumed their training until an hour before sunset.

Usagi grinned at Rei as she flew over a couple hours later, soaked in sweat and glowing from her most recent fight, this time with Vegeta. "Your shirt's buttoned wrong, you know."

Rei looked down and blushed, and quickly set her shirt to rights. Goten had drug her off into the woods again for a replay of earlier, only this time he'd stripped her down slowly, turning a simply disrobing into a seductive game.

For an annoying goofball, the man could be sex on a stick given the right inspiration. Rei could still feel his hands and mouth all over her, worshiping her body as if she were some sort of holy item. She sighed a little at the thought, a soft smile tugging at her lips. Goten was certainly wonderful… as long as he didn't talk.

"Aw, someone's in love," Usagi giggled, snapping Rei out of her reverie.

"Shut the fuck up," Rei snapped. "Go bother Ami if you're not going to spar with Trunks."

"I'm just giving Trunks a bit of a break from the barrage on his brain. It's awfully fun distracting him.

"What are you doing to him?" Rei asked curiously. She'd noticed that Trunks had been acting strangely, occasionally glancing at Usagi with naked lust whenever they were sparring, only to be blasted into next week by a sneak attack from the blonde, or a ki blast from Vegeta. Vegeta was simply giving him little lessons in paying attention, though.

"You should be able to do it, too, Rei." Usagi said seriously. "I mean, he did mark you, right? That's the only way Goten could possibly be acting so civil right now. You just haven't returned it, so you can't hear his thoughts yet."

"But he can hear mine?"

"Tousan said yes, but since you haven't bitten him, you'll have to push a little. I figure with your training in the temple, you shouldn't have any problem. Try it and see."

Rei grinned a little at the thought of making the baka crazy, and started thinking of some of the most erotic things she'd ever heard of. She squinted her eyes and thought hard, directing the images to reach his mind. They were mental pictures of what they'd done in the woods, mixed with some things she wanted to do. Like wrap her thighs around his face while she took him with her mouth.

She looked up and around, and sure enough, saw Goten staring at her with his jaw open just a little, a line of drool forming on his bottom lip. Rei grinned at the sight, and thought very hard about him tying her up with those ki bands once more and ravaging her. Her grin faltered when Goten snapped out of his daze and stalked towards her.

"Whoa, monkey boy, I was just testing something out!"

"Playing with fire again, aren't you, Pyro?" He chuckled evilly. "Excuse us, Usagi, I have something I need to attend to," he said flatly, snagging Rei around the waist and launching them both into the air.

Trunks landed behind her and kissed the back of her neck. "You're so bad, Moon."

"Nah, they'll both thank me later if she completes the bond. Ready to spar some more?" Usagi thought of some very erotic positions that they hadn't tried, and felt him twitch against the back of her thigh. Hm… she thought of him ripping off her fuku with his teeth instead, and he instantly hardened.

Bingo.

"You're going to regret fucking with me like this, you know," he purred pleasantly.

"Regret it? Nah. I'm looking forward to it. But somehow, I don't see you lasting two minutes tonight, as quickly as you get hot and bothered about my fuku."

"Who says we only have to go once, Moon? I'm a on a mission to fuck your brains out, and I mean to fulfill that mission." Trunks nibbled playfully on her earlobe, sighing with pleasure as she leaned into him.

Usagi sighed. "It's about time, you know," she said sadly.

"I know. Don't worry, Moon. You're safe. I won't let them take you. They'll have to get through me and Father… hell. They'll have to get through all of us."

A sultry smile played at her lips as she looked at the setting sun. It was just easier not to think about what was ahead of them, so she'd have some fun while she could. "Hey, Stranger?" she said in her sexiest voice. "Ready for that fuku?"

"Later, woman," he answered with a grin.

"I meant, are you ready for me to transform? Pervert." She rolled her eyes when he gestured at the sun, which was only about an hour from setting. "Come on, ladies!" Usagi yelled. "It's time!"

Ami flew over, still getting used to the sensation of flying, and landed in front of Usa. "Where's Rei?"

"Heh, she was teasing Goten and he took off with her," Trunks answered.

"Oh, I'll call her then." Ami pulled out her communicator and blushed when Rei picked up, sweaty and red-faced for an obvious reason. "It's time, Rei, hurry up," she ordered sternly. She closed the communicator and smiled at Gohan, who had just landed next to her. "If Rei had simply done what I did, she wouldn't be dealing with so much frustration."

"Are you going to start getting nerdy on me again, Blue?" Gohan teased, kissing her tenderly.

"Maybe after the battle if you like," she responded tartly.

Minako and Makoto joined the group, accompanied by Goku, who had finally taught them how to fly. "We're ready when you are," the blonde said brightly.

"This is just like old times," Jupiter said with a grin. "I feel like we're stupid teenagers all over again!"

Rei and Goten finally landed amongst them. Goten's fly was half undone and Rei's shirt was buttoned wrong again. "Ok, we're ready, let's go!"

"About damned time," Usagi snorted, pulling out her locket and raising it high. "Here comes the fuku, Stranger. Cosmic Moon Power!"

"No time like the present, ladies!" Minako said with something close to glee. "Venus Crystal Power!"

"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

The moon came out just as Goten and Gohan managed to control their sudden nosebleeds. Trunks was studying his mate with a gleam in his eye. "Later," he promised.

Usagi blushed, and smoothed down her skirt just a little bit, while images of his hands tearing the cloth from her body ran through her mind. "Later," she affirmed. "You guys ready?" She asked the Super Saiyans.

Trunks scooped her up and grinned. "Ah, just like old times, Moon. Hang on tight."

They all shot straight towards South City, and dropped down a few blocks outside the square. Usagi held up her hand when they tried to follow her. "They want the princess," she said flatly. "They'll get her." Sailor Moon removed her compact and opened it, revealing a lotus-shaped Silver Crystal.

Trunks and the other Saiyans all gasped when she suddenly transformed into Princess Serenity, even though he and his father had seen it once before. The Senshi simply beamed with pride when they saw that her dress was more mature than the last time she'd transformed. She was damn near identical to Neo Queen Serenity, all but for the crown.

Vegeta and Trunks both grinned at the sight of her when she raised her head up in the air with regal pride, and led the group towards the center of the city. "I've met your challenge!" She thundered. "Show yourselves. You have a choice: you may bow before your future queen, or you can face a swift and merciful death."

"But Lady, we have no wish to swear fealty _or _die," a soft voice said from in front of her. "Surely there must be another option."

Serenity held up a hand to stop her mate from moving forward, and moved back a little when a shadow materialized into an attractive male youma. "You're making a mistake in fighting," she said smugly.

"Really?" The youma asked softly. "I seem to recall that the weakest of my minions easily captured you, Princess Serenity. What makes you think that I'll have a problem in doing so?" He raised a single white eyebrow when silver ki flames rose around her and she smirked.

"I haven't tried this yet since I was taught to use my ki," she said softly, dangerously. "But I have to admit, I've been curious." Her Moon Wand appeared in her hand, and she carefully placed the Silver Crystal in its holder. "Do you really want to find out what it does?" She smiled ruefully when he visibly cringed before her. "Cosmic Moon Power," she breathed, flaring her ki as high as it would go. Silver light filled the city, putting all of the civilians to sleep, and revealing all of the youma, no matter how adept they were at hiding themselves. Her powers also revealed all of their kis.

Trunks landed at her side and put himself between her and the youma leader. "So, you're the bastard that ordered the kidnapping of my mate?" He snarled.

The youma laughed at him. "I've heard of you Golden Warrior, and I have to say that I'm not impressed. Your power level is about what, half of mine?"

Trunks grinned, but the expression was deceptive. There was a primal light in his eyes as he powered up to level two, and stopped just short of level three. He and the others had powered down in transit so as not to chase off the enemy, and judging by the sudden fear in the youma's eyes, it had been the right choice. "What about now, pretty boy?"

A female youma, appearing to be the twin of the male, materialized in front of her brother and studied Trunks carefully. "Who are you to possess so much power?"

"I'm a Saiyan prince of Vegeta-sai. And this is _our_ planet, got that?" He jumped and whirled when his mate yelled from behind him, to find her struggling with a green youma. He needn't have worried. Vegeta and Goku both dashed forward while going straight to level three, and ripped the threat to his mate right in half. "Get her out of here."

"No, I can move better like this," she snapped, and transformed back into Sailor Moon. "That damnable dress is such a pain in the ass." She looked up as she felt the ki of several dozen youma closing in, and was grateful to find some of them at about her level of strength. "Save the sissies for me, boys, I wouldn't want to feel left out," she said with a grin. She looked back to her Senshi. "Ready, ladies?"

They wasted no time in dishing out attacks to the weaker youma that Sailor Moon indicated with little gestures or nods. "FLAME SNIPER!"

"AQUA RHAPSODY!"

"SUPREME THUNDER!"

"METEOR SHOWER!"

Not to be outdone, the Saiyans threw in immediately, targeting any youma that the girls couldn't handle. Sailor Moon stayed close to Trunks while he battled the brother and sister simultaneously. She quickly figured out how to form and fire a ki blast after paying attention to Vegeta's ki, and let loose a few of her own, to her mate's surprise. She would have pulled out her wand, but in comparison to ki attacks, it just seemed so… pitiful.

Trunks grunted when the sister got him from behind while he was focused on the brother. By themselves, he would have had no problem, but their kis seemed to augment each other to the point that they were having no trouble keeping up with him, even after he'd ascended another level. He heard a scream of undiluted raw terror, and everything moved in slow motion as he turned to snatch his mate back into his arms.

"No, YOU BITCH!" Usagi screamed. She powered up her ki until it burned, and kept pushing it when the female youma opened a portal in front of her. "TRUNKS!" She screamed, the horror and rage in it so strong that it turned every Saiyan head.

Trunks didn't hesitate when he saw the desperation in his mate's eyes, and fired as much power as he could muster just as the youma tried to take her through the portal. Sailor Moon and the youma went flying as the golden beam impacted with a solid chest that came out of nowhere, and the body it was attached to crashed right into his mate and the youma.

He whirled, drew his sword, and beheaded the male youma who was still staring at what had just happened in shock, before flying to his mate's side with all haste.

"Moon," he gasped, and shook her gently. "Usa! Wake up!" He shouted at her. He checked her for a pulse, and sighed with relief.

"It just knocked her out," his father grunted painfully. The chest that had taken the ki blast had been his, and he was paying for that retarded act of nobility. "I knew you'd promise to do as she'd asked. I also knew you wouldn't hesitate to follow through on it."

Trunks smiled gratefully at Vegeta, and held Usagi to him tightly. "You saved her life, Father. Thank you."

"Yours too," Vegeta grunted. "I know you'd be stupid enough to take your own life if she died." He nodded at the female youma. "What should we do with her?"

"Kill her slowly," Trunks suggested. He stared at the youma with a hatred that he'd never felt for another being in his entire life. This must have been what his future self had felt towards the androids, he realized. "Maybe chain her to a wall and let her slowly starve to death while we beat her daily." His grip on Usagi tightened protectively when she stirred. "Moon. You ok?" The anger in his voice was immediately gone as he looked at her gently.

"Hey, Stranger." She gave him a little half-smile before turning her head to look at the youma, who was also starting to wake up. "Just kill her and be done with it."

Trunks nodded slowly. He wanted revenge, wanted to make the youma suffer, but he'd do as she asked. He helped Usagi to her feet, and let Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus take her from him. "When you're in Hell, you'd better thank Sailor Moon for not letting you suffer," he told the youma. He drew his sword and simply beheaded her, without any fanfare. "Any others left?" He asked Vegeta.

His father shrugged. "They were all pathetic weaklings. No match for Saiyan might, brat. Go care for your woman, we'll clean this mess up."

"Thanks, Father."

Usagi was already assessing the damage their fight had caused when he returned to her side. "Come on, Moon, let's get out of here."

"Sorry, Stranger, but I have to fix this first." The Silver Crystal appeared in her hands, and she was once again transformed into Princess Serenity in a flash of silver light. "Heal us all, please, and fix what was broken."

The Saiyans all powered down, and Trunks went back to level one as they watched their clean-up plans being taken care of. "Now, if you could only use that thing to fight," Vegeta grunted, but not without a hint of gratitude. His chest was completely healed; he wouldn't even have to spend so much as an hour in the tank.

Serenity shrugged and smiled. "I'm sure you'll teach me in time, Tousan."

"Serenity!"

Everyone looked over to see a dark-haired man in a cape and a mask running towards them with all haste, and all of the girls fought the urge to laugh. "You're a little late," the princess said dryly.

Tuxedo Mask stopped once he was in front of her, and looked her up and down. "Then why are you dressed like that?"

Trunks moved forward to deal with the male that was a little too close to his mate for his liking, but Usagi stopped him with a gesture. She transformed back into Sailor Moon, and folded her arms over her chest. "Better, baka?"

"You're still mad at me," he sighed.

Usagi rolled her eyes and shook her head. "While I think you're a complete ass, no, I'm not mad at you. You breaking my heart was the best thing that ever happened to me. Mamoru-san, meet Stranger." She didn't stop Trunks from encircling her in his arms from behind, and she laid her head back against his chest. God, it just felt right to let him hold her.

Mamoru just gaped at the pair. "But… what about Crystal Tokyo, Usako?"

She shrugged, and ran her fingers down Trunks' arm when her mate began to growl at her ex. "Shh, Stranger, it's ok. I got this." She glared at Mamoru. "We're through, got that? Now you can go back to America and study like you wanted to, and you'll no longer have to worry about protecting helpless little Usagi."

"You're hardly helpless," Gohan snorted from behind them.

"Yes, she is," Vegeta grunted. "But she won't be when I'm through training her."

"And who are all these people?" Tuxedo Mask snapped.

Usagi chuckled, and looked back at all of the black-haired Saiyans. "My new family, I guess." As if to prove her point, they all went Super Saiyan for a few moments before powering back down. Her eyes danced with mischief when Mamoru just swallowed at the sight of all that strength. "Anyway, I guess that's all I really wanted to say to you." She shrugged.

"Can I hit him just once?" Trunks grumbled.

"Nah. Besides, I'm hungry." She was too busy looking up into his eyes to see Mamoru's obvious relief. He definitely didn't want to get punched by the man holding her; he could practically see the power rolling off of him in waves.

Goten suddenly flew forward and socked Tuxedo Mask in the jaw. It was a very tame blow, but all the same, it sent him sprawling. "She didn't say _I _couldn't hit him," he said with a grin.

The Senshi all burst out laughing. They'd managed to stay quiet during the entire confrontation, but this was finally their undoing. "I've got a couple exes you can put in their place for me!" Venus said hysterically.

"I think we all do!" Jupiter agreed. She slung an arm companionably around Venus' and Mercury's shoulders. "Come on, girls, let's go annoy Motoki and get some burgers. You coming, Sailor Moon?"

"Not yet, she isn't," Trunks replied with a devilish smile. "But I expect she will be soon… several times."

"Damn, boy," Makoto snorted. "You'd better let her get something to eat, first, or she might pass out on you."

"Passing out would be bad," he grumbled. "Well, unless it was for other reasons." He grinned when Usagi blushed.

Vegeta and Goku both huffed at the same time, reminded that they had their own mates waiting for them at home. The latter of the two grinned at the newly mated couple and waved. "Alright, kids, I'm going home. Chi-Chi will likely be mad if I'm not home before midnight." He glanced at his sons, and gestured to Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury. "Um… we won't wait up."

"As pitiful as this battle was, it's making me hungry for some ass." Vegeta smirked when Trunks rolled his eyes.

"Father, that's my mom you're talking about."

"And how do you think you came into being, brat? I fucked her brains out, that's how." He gave a dark laugh when his son shook his head and blushed. "Girl, I'll see you tomorrow at lunch for training… if my son hasn't pounded you so badly that you can't walk." He waited for Usagi to roll her eyes and nod before blasting off for home, and his mate.

Trunks and Usagi joined the Senshi, and they made their way down a few blocks towards the arcade. Jupiter and Venus chatted amicably while they politely gave Mars and Mercury some space. The two of them were engaged in hushed conversation with the men that had marked them.

"Too bad we don't have any more Saiyans to go around for them," Trunks chuckled.

"Nah, Mako-chan's dating Motoki, and Mina-chan has never lacked for suitors. Those two will be fine," Usagi answered softly. "Rei-chan, on the other hand, has a tendency to chase off most guys with her temper, if you haven't noticed. And Ami-chan's simply so shy that most men think she's standoffish."

"Well, good for them, then. I spoke with Gohan earlier, and he's going to buy them a house near his father's, if my mother doesn't offer them both positions at Capsule Corp."

Motoki just stared at the group when they entered the arcade. He'd known about the Senshi for a long time, but seeing the Golden Warrior walk in the door was completely new for him. He kissed Jupiter once he was sure she was unharmed, then stared at Sailor Moon and Stranger, who were talking quietly and had their arms around each other's waists. "So, they're together now?" He asked his girlfriend.

"Pretty much married, the way it was explained to me," Makoto answered with a grin. "About damn time, too, if you ask me."

"And them?" Motoki looked to the young men, who were politely holding chairs out for their mates.

"The Golden Warrior's friends. Gohan and Ami are married, now, in the same way Usa and Stranger are. Rei and Goten are almost there. They can turn blonde, too, when their powers get really high. You missed one hell of a battle! These guys were smooshing youma left and right without a bit of effort. You should have seen their fathers, though; they were beating some serious ass."

Motoki swallowed hard at the thought of that much power. And he had thought the girls were a force to be reckoned with! He turned and hugged Usagi to him when she stepped forward to say hi. "God, you had us all so worried." He looked up when he heard a growl from behind her that was growing louder by the second.

"Mine," Trunks snarled, and yanked Usagi back to him. He looked like he wanted to kill the other man, until his mate slapped at his chest.

"This is Motoki, Stranger! He's been my friend since I was fourteen, thank you very much! And he might as well be my brother, since he and Mako have been dating for years!" She hugged Motoki just to prove a point. "Thank you, Niisan. I'm fine. Stranger saved my life."

"Fine, he's a brother, then. Whatever." The Saiyan in him could accept that, but only because Motoki was obviously mated to Sailor Jupiter. "Come on, get something to eat, woman. We have to be somewhere, remember?"

"Where are we supposed to be going?" She asked, not the only one in the room to give him a confused stare. When he raked his gaze over her fuku, though, she suddenly remembered and blushed profusely.

"You made a promise, remember? You'd better not be going back on it, Moon." He grinned when all of the Senshi blushed and tried not to laugh.

Usagi slipped her arm through Mako's and led her to an empty table, where she promptly used a menu to hide her red face from her friends.

"I'm confused," Motoki admitted. "Did I miss something?"

Stranger crossed his arms over his chest and grinned sheepishly. "You ever rip Mako's fuku off of her?" He asked bluntly.

"Oh…" Motoki suddenly broke into a laugh, and shook his head. "I understand, now. It really is awesome how those things regenerate. Mako let me do it the one time, but her and I have never actually... uh. You know. We're waiting until marriage."

"Your loss," Trunks chuckled. "I plan on doing it way more than once," he said flatly. "Now, let's get these girls fed so I can spend some time with my mate."

**And that's it, yall! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT! Thanks to all of those who have review thus far, and YES, there will be an epilogue! Involving a fuku! I can't let poor Trunks not enjoy himself, you know. **

**And yall, I am so proud. This is officially the FIRST fanfic I have ever finished and not left to rot in a cyberspace heap somewhere! YAY! Review if you can, yall know how those make my day! Love yall so much!**


	10. Epilogue: The Fuku

"So, Stranger, where to?" Usagi asked with a little grin.

Trunks sighed happily and leaned in to kiss her, but frowned when she dodged him. "Right here outside the arcade if you do that again."

"Ah, ah, ah," Sailor Moon said lightly, shaking a finger at him playfully. "Rooftop, wasn't it?"

"Unless you had a better place in mind?" Trunks eyed her appreciatively as her eyes twinkled with mischief. Oh, she had something in mind, there was no doubt, but she was blocking it out in her mind to keep him from seeing it.

"I talked to Tousan on the phone while you were eating, you know. He said that a fifteen minute head start should be fair."

Head start? For—Trunks laughed at that, when Usagi finally let him see what she meant in her mind. He knew his mother and father played this game once in a while, and Vegeta had once explained that it was a kind of mating ritual on Vegeta-sai, almost as old as taking a mate after beating her in a fight. "How much does he usually give Mom?" While he didn't want to know anything about what his parents got up to, he couldn't help ask out of curiosity.

"Tousan said that since Kassan doesn't use ki, he gives her an hour. He also said that you lack the control that he does, so fifteen minutes would likely be as long as you'd be able to wait without cheating," she added with a laugh.

"Fucking asshole," Trunks snorted. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, couldn't stop thinking about tearing that fuku right off of her body. Ok, fine. Maybe his father was right for once. The idea of waiting even fifteen more minutes was a little maddening. "You'd better get going," he growled suddenly.

Usagi 'eeped' a little when he approached her, and she leapt out of his way and began running down a side alley, only stopping once she was out of sight. Vegeta had advised her to use her ki only a little, since it would act as a tracking beacon, so she made sure to keep it as low as possible and still be able to fly.

She couldn't fly fast like that, but she was already halfway across the city and ducking behind a storage building when she felt Trunks' ki flare and go into the sky, signaling that her time was up. Usagi giggled and shook her head. This had to be the first game of hide and seek she'd played since she'd been ten.

Usagi waited patiently, and giggled when he went in the wrong direction. "Sweet Selene, this is too easy." She pressed against their mental bond, blocking her location, but still keeping the link just enough to taunt him. _At this rate, I'm just heading home and getting some shut eye, Stranger._

_ Am I hot or cold? _

_ God, Trunks, you __**suck**__ at this game!_ She cried, laughing at him in his head. _And I'm not giving you any hints, you're gonna play this game fair and square. _

_What if I offer something in exchange? _He asked. Even the voice in her head sounded husky with need.

_Hm, like what? _Usagi had to admit, there were a few things he could offer her that just might make her give him a hint or two.

_Tell me if I'm hot or cold, and I won't go as rough on you as I'm planning to, _he growled lustfully.

_But Stranger, _Sailor Moon purred in reply, _I was looking forward to that part._

_ Kami, woman, you're so damned __**sexy**__. Tell me where you are, right now, _he demanded.

Usagi giggled and shook her head. "Oh my God, this is so much fun!' She laughed. _Alright, but you'd better make this worth my while, Stranger. You're stone fucking cold, _she chuckled. She immediately felt his ki turn right around and head directly towards her at a breakneck pace. "Well, shit. Maybe I should have told him he was only a little cold," she grumbled.

She gasped in surprise when she felt his thoughts in her mind, showing him biting down on her shoulder through the cloth of her uniform, before tearing out the panties, only to drop to his knees and take her with his mouth. _Mmm, you are such a bad boy, Stranger. All those dirty thoughts of yours._

_ Woman, that's only a preview. Hot or cold? _When she didn't respond, he snarled in frustration and once again sent her a graphic image of carnal delights.

_Damn, boy. Now __**that **__was downright kinky. _

_ Care to try it sometime?_

_ Eh… let's save that one for later. Much later, _Usagi added, still ogling the picture in her head. Wow, Trunks most definitely watched way too much porn in his younger years.

_Good, because I'm not into that sort of thing, anyway, _he laughed evilly. _I just thought I'd fuck with you. _He sent her another image, of her in her uniform, tears placed in strategic places, with her tied to his bed and gagged.

_Wow, Stranger._

_ Now __**that**__, I'm into, I have to admit. You willing to try it?_

Usagi shook her head and laughed, sending him a picture of her own. His shirt was in shreds, and he was the one tied down and gagged, covered in lovebites. _What about that? _She asked breathlessly. Damn it, this game was starting to get her a little hot and bothered.

_Only if you remove the gag._

_ Why?_

Trunks showed her why, and chuckled when he felt her immediate arousal through the bond.

_Getting warm, _she whispered.

Trunks turned slightly east, and knew he was getting hot when he felt her heartbeat quicken a little.

"Shit," Usagi gasped, when she felt him less than a mile away. She peeked around the storage building, and saw his ki floating in the air, his head turning left, and then right. She considered running and changing hiding places for a moment, but ducked back into the shadows when he headed her way. Pushing her ki as low as it would go, she crept through the darkness to hide behind a another building, but stiffened halfway there when she felt his ki almost directly above her.

She looked up and gave him a shaky grin when she found him staring right at her with nothing but raw lust in his green eyes. "Fuck me running," she said quickly, half laughing, half groaning. She bolted like the rabbit she was and darted around a corner into an alley. Her days in high school didn't have shit on how fast she was running right then; Ms. Haruna would have been proud of this particular mad dash… until her teacher found out exactly why she was running, of course.

Usagi used a little bit of her ki to help her clear a fence when she came to a dead end, and screamed in surprise when two strong arms deftly caught her and drug her up against a rock-hard chest.

"I win," Trunks growled, immediately pushing her up against the dead end that she'd just vaulted. The Saiyan kissed her roughly then, pinning her arms behind her head when she gave a token struggle, and shifted her wrists so that he could hold them with one hand while the other explored her.

There was a tearing sound, and Usagi suddenly felt the night air against one of her breasts, followed by the warmth of his tongue. She couldn't help the strangled moan that came out of her mouth when his lips closed around the peak and began to suckle while his free hand wandered further south to tear at another piece of her uniform, exposing her. "Trunks, please. I need you inside of me now."

"You're supposed to call me Stranger, remember Moon?" He chuckled, releasing her hands so he could sink to his knees.

Usagi couldn't even remember when they'd agreed to that, and simply buried her fingers in his hair to hold him to her, moaning incoherently. "Please," she gasped again, when she felt herself peaking, only for him to revert to teasing her mercilessly. "Please, Stranger." She tried to nudge his mouth back to where she wanted it with one of her thighs, but he easily dodged and nipped at the inside of her leg.

"You're mine, woman. Mine to do with as I wish. You'll come when I tell you to, and not before."

When he took her right to the edge again and once more left her bereft, she let out a helpless little cry of frustration as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. "Stranger, you asshole, you're getting such a beating for this later," she whispered malevolently.

"Hm, promises, promises."

Sailor Moon whimpered when he took her up two more times only to stop just short of her pleasure. "Please, Stranger, don't make me pound on you."

"The only one who's getting a pounding tonight is you," he replied roughly. Trunks slid two fingers inside of her just then, and felt her tighten around him just a little. "Now, Moon, you're going to come for me. You understand?"

Usagi nodded weakly, and her eyes rolled back in her head when his hand moved in time with his mouth. She tensed, waiting for him to pull away, but he kept up his assault and shoved her roughly into oblivion, crying out so loudly that she was nearly screaming her release.

Trunks cradled her against him when she went limp, and looked down at her in concern. "Moon, you ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Mmhmm," she answered dreamily. Her eyes cracked open to meet his, and a little smile tugged at her mouth. "I'm getting you back for that, you know."

"Looking forward to it," he grunted, pressing her against the wall as he shredded the bodice of her uniform. Trunks felt her hands fumbling at his pants, and chuckled when she gave an impatient little growl. "Don't worry, woman, you'll get it. Eventually."

"Stranger, if you even think of teasing me again like you just did, I'll—"

"You'll what?" He asked seriously, pressing against her entrance. "You'll call Red, and have her set my hair on fire?"

"No," Usagi gasped, equally serious, "I'll call your mom." She grinned at his stunned expression. "And I'll tell her what a bad, mean son of a bitch you are."

"Bad as you want, moon goddess." With that, he thrust into her savagely, biting down on her mark as his hips moved at a pace that even he could barely keep up with.

Usagi cringed at the initial pain, but the bite solved that quickly, flooding her senses with pleasure that was only heightened by the feel of her mate claiming her with the brutality of a Saiyan warrior. She gave a helpless little moan just before she came, tightening around him and giving his mark the same treatment that he had given hers.

"Do you like that, Moon?" He whispered in her ear, just before raking his teeth down her throat.

"Yeah." She moved her hips against him when he slowed down a little.

"Nope, no moving, woman. You're going to hold still."

Her eyes rolled back when he took control and thrust against her relentlessly, taking her over the edge yet again. "Stranger," she moaned.

"That's more like it. Come for me again, Moon," he growled. He didn't let up as she trembled against him and arched her back to meet him for every savage thrust despite his order for her to hold still. Her enthusiasm was more than enough to make up for her disregard for his command.

"Harder, Stranger. Please, I need you so badly." Her thighs shook when he gave her everything, and she cried out in ecstasy against him as she shattered. "God, you feel so good. Come for me, Stranger."

"Not yet, Moon." He bit down on her mating mark, and gripped her hips hard enough to leave bruises when he felt her tighten and buck against him wildly yet again. "You're mine."

"Yours, Stranger. I'm yours," she answered desperately. Her whimpers were muted when his mouth slanted over hers and his tongue plunged into her mouth as she slipped into oblivion for the… well, she didn't know how many times it was, she'd stopped keeping a count. She felt her stamina flagging, but she moved against him with abandon when she felt him stiffen and his movements became erratic. She followed him over the edge when he cried out her name and bit down on her shoulder.

"Better?" She asked shakily. God, he was shaking just as hard as she was. "Need to lie down?" She teased. "Sailor Moon too much for you?"

Trunks laughed against her neck and pressed his hips against hers to make her gasp. "What, you want to go again? I'm sure I can be persuaded."

"God, no, I'll be walking bowlegged during training tomorrow as it is!" She laughed, and slapped him playfully on the ass. "Now let me down, sexy man." She grinned when he pulled away with obvious reluctance. She detransformed and was instantly clothed in the jeans and tank top she'd worn earlier in the day. "There, that's better. I sure hope my fuku regenerates after all that. You destroyed it."

"That was the point," he said with a grin. He pulled his clothes on before kissing her softly, slowly, tenderly. The embrace made him suddenly want more.

Usagi gasped when she felt him harden against her again. "Oh, no. I'm not a marathon woman, Stranger. Well, not yet, anyway."

"Give me a few months, we'll add it to your training." His eyes raked up and down her body and he nipped at her shoulder. "Let me make love to you again," he groaned. "Please, Moon, I'm begging you."

Usagi's blue eyes twinkled with mirth. "Stranger, I hate to disappoint you, but that wasn't making love. That was fucking."

Trunks' eyes widened a little at her statement before he laughed so hard he was holding his sides by the time he got himself under control. "Ok, fine then," he finally answered, "let me make love you to this time."

"Alright," Usagi snorted, as if it were some huge inconvenience for her. "I _suppose_ I could give in just this once."

**And there it is, my fellow otaku fangirls! The fuku epilogue! Due to a certain other fangirl's awesomeness, I'll be posting a Rei and Goten epilogue as well. :) Please review, and I love yall, thank you for sticking with this story til the end!**


	11. Epilogue: Love Sick

All of the girls collectively flinched when Goten ascended and starting going to town on Trunks, connecting and drawing blood with nearly every blow he dealt. "Sweet Selene, Rei, what's got him so riled!?" Usagi asked, standing from the spectator's bench, one arm cradling her protruding belly.

"Ugh, fuck if I know. He's been like this for a couple weeks," she grumbled. "GOTEN!" She shouted, "what the—" And then her mouth snapped shut when he glanced over at her and shot her what was arguably the nastiest look she'd ever received from anyone in her life.

"Whoa," Usagi breathed in sharply. Just as she decided to ask her mate to stop the fight through their mental link, Trunks's ki rose rapidly, and he started dishing out what he'd been taking. "Whatever it is, Rei, you'd better address it," she advised, sitting down. Her mate had this handled, and she knew better than to interrupt a sparring match when it got too heated, unless it was a dire emergency.

"Address what?" The fire Senshi snapped. "I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, no, Rei. You did something, alright. Stranger has never looked at me like that before. You said it's been going on for a couple weeks. He's just been mean to you?"

"No… in fact, it hasn't been all the time. Most of the time, he's been his normal, sweet, goofy self. But then it's like someone's flipped a switch, and he's aggressive and intense. It frankly reminds me a bit of Vegeta," Rei admitted softly. She opened her mouth to continue, but it slammed shut when Trunks darted in and punched Goten in the head, sending him rocketing into the ground below, and she was instantly out of her seat, running for the sparring field.

Usagi floated up and slowly flew that way as well, while she got on her communicator and called Ami. She'd seen the Saiyans spar enough times to know that that punch had been tame, and shouldn't have fazed Goten for a moment, let alone taken him out. Something was wrong with him.

Very, very wrong with him.

As much as Rei wanted to beat the hell out of Trunks for hitting him so hard, she simply ignored him when she got to the spot where her man had fallen, and slid to her knees by his side. "Goten, Goten, wake up," she said worriedly, shaking him. "He's burning up. Get Ami."

"I'm already here," the doctor said quietly, and Gohan gently set her down on her feet. "Move, Rei, let me examine him." Ami broke open her medical bag and proceeded to get his vital signs, frowning a little harder at each piece of new information she acquired. "Gohan, this can't be normal for a Saiyan, right?"

"What, Blue?" He asked, kneeling at her side.

"His temperature is one-oh-four, his pulse is one-fifty, and his blood pressure is two-ten over a hundred and twenty."

"Holy shit, I'm surprised he's not having a heart attack," Gohan whispered. He immediately regretted it when Rei blanched and started shaking him again, her violet eyes brimming with tears.

"Goten, Goten, please wake up," Rei begged, her voice hitching as she fought not to cry. "Please, honey."

"Let me try," Usagi said gently, pushing her way to his side. She immediately began to fill him with her light, and instantly he looked a little better.

Ami ran his vitals again and nodded. "Fever's still up, but everything else is coming back down to normal. What exactly happened?"

Trunks shook his head and tried not to feel so guilty. "I swear I didn't hit him hard; it was just a regular old punch."

"And before you hit him?"

"He was sweating and breathing really hard, a lot more than he should have been for a friendly sparring match," Trunks said slowly. "He was a lot more aggressive than normal, too."

Ami nodded, satisfied for the moment. "Let's get him in a bed, and find Vegeta and Tousan. As the only full-blooded Saiyans, they might have some answers."

#############

"Feh. Saiyans don't get viruses, woman."

"He's only half-Saiyan," Ami repeated patiently. "Didn't Trunks or Bra ever get sick?"

"Never. I'm telling you, Saiyans don't get viruses, Blue. And that heart virus Kakarot contracted years ago was a very rare fluke." Vegeta rolled his eyes when one of her eyebrows shot up and she waited for him to continue. "Kakarot was inoculated before Goten was born; therefore, Goten is immune to it. So that's not it."

"Well, then tell me what explains elevated vital signs in a Saiyan?" She asked, almost impatiently.

Vegeta shrugged. "Depends on what he was doing. Was he angry?"

"I don't know. Rei said that he's been more aggressive than usual, getting nasty with her for no reason—"

"RED!" Vegeta shouted, glaring at the spot outside the door where he could feel her ki.

"Yeah?" Rei asked meekly, entering the room. She automatically approached the bed and smoothed back Goten's hair before rewetting the cloth on his head and replacing it.

Vegeta frowned and reined in his temper at the sight of how tender she was acting towards Goku's youngest son; it was completely at odds with how she normally acted around him in front of other people. Clearly, she was worried about him. "Right before he started showing aggression towards you, what happened? I mean within twelve hours before it started." He huffed when she blushed and shook her head. "Did he try to claim you?"

Rei licked her lips and swallowed hard. "Yeah… and… well… I chickened out," she replied softly. "I was scared."

Ami perked up when Vegeta groaned. "So, that's it, then?"

The older Saiyan shook his head. "No, that's the beginning, girl. He marked you, what? Five months ago? You're his, and you're refusing him at every turn. His Saiyan nature is trying to break out, but he's fighting it so hard it's harming his body."

Rei paled, and her lips set in a tight line as she stifled the urge to cry. "So it's my fault," she said quietly, running her fingers through his hair. When Vegeta didn't speak, she knew that was all the answer she needed; this was, without question, her fault. "Will he wake up?"

"It depends."

Damn, if Vegeta was hesitating before giving her an answer, it was bad. Really bad. "Don't sugarcoat it, sensei. Just tell me what to do. I'll do it." She looked up at him seriously, waiting for his instructions.

"Get him home, and in bed. Your bed would be better, since your scent will soothe him. When you sleep, you sleep with him. And when he does wake up, you let him claim you. If he makes it through the night, he should wake within a couple of days… it depends on how hard he's been fighting himself," Vegeta finished with a frown.

Rei flinched when she heard a familiar voice outside the door, escalating to a level that she was all-too privy to as of late. She hung her head when the owner of that voice walked into the room, and waited for the barrage of cursing and condemnation that she knew was coming. "I'm sorry, Chi-Chi," she whispered.

"You'd better be," Goten's mother snapped, making her way to the opposite side of the bed to feel his forehead. "How long is he going to be out?"

Rei quietly repeated everything that Vegeta had just told her, leaving nothing out, while she continued to hang her head in remorse. "I'm sorry," she repeated at the end of the diagnosis. "…If I'd known…" She shook her head.

"Stubborn, selfish girl," Chi-Chi yelled, "don't you ever care about anyone but yourself! My son's been in love with you for—"

"THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH, DAMN IT!"

Everyone's heads went up except for Rei's, who was trying her best to hide the tears running down her cheeks, and they all turned to the doorway to stare at Usagi.

"This is a sickroom," the Lunarian princess said firmly, "and it is not a place for tempers to get out of hand. I know you're worried about your son, Chi-Chi, and yelling is your way of feeling better. But Rei is already doing a fine enough job of beating up on herself without you adding to it. So either shut the fuck up or get the fuck out." She shot a glare at Vegeta after that. "And you'd do well to get that smirk off your face, Tousan, or I'm kicking you out, too," she added.

"My apologies," Chi-Chi said after a long moment. "Rei, you'll be taking him back to the shrine?" When the Senshi nodded silently, she patted her hand. "I'm sorry. Call me if there are any changes."

"Yes, ma'am," Rei replied submissively.

"I'll get Goku in here in a moment to instant transmission you back, since it'll be easier that way," Chi-Chi added after a few more moments. When Rei merely nodded, she gave Usagi a quiet apology before walking back out of the room to find her mate.

"Rei-chan… are you alright?" Usagi asked gently, sitting next to her on the bed. The moon princess hugged her tightly when she shook her head a little. "He'll be fine, Rei-chan. You just wait, in a couple days, he'll be right back to annoying the hell out of you."

"I hope so," she whispered.

######################

Once Usagi had shooed everyone out of Rei's bedroom, the princess of Mars stripped her mate down to his skin and began to give him an alcohol rub. Modern medicine was all well and good, but sometimes the old ways were the best, and she had a feeling that the skin-to-skin contact might help him as well.

She was at a loss for what to do after that, though, so she settled for sitting at his side, talking to him, singing to him, whatever she could think of that might bring him around. And when she got tired, she read to keep herself awake, refusing to sleep just in case he took a bad turn. Rei kept an eye on his vital signs, texting them to Ami every half-hour. Everything was normal except for his temperature, which had very slowly continued to climb.

"Please just wake up, Goten," Rei plead with him for the millionth time. It was dawn already, and while his temperature continued to worry her, Vegeta had assured her that evening that he would be fine if he made it through the night. "Maybe just a catnap," she whispered to herself. "Just an hour of sleep, and then I'll do another alcohol rub on him."

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Rei stripped down to nothing and slipped into her bed beside him, snuggling up tightly against his chest. She blushed a little, knowing how he'd react if he woke to find them both nude, but at that point she was willing to try anything. And if he did wake up and try to claim her, she knew in her heart that she wouldn't fight him. Not when she knew what the price would be.

She overslept, but only by an hour, so she didn't beat herself up about it too badly. She frowned when she realized that his temperature had increased to one-oh-six, and furiously dialed Vegeta. She informed him of the change when he picked up and grunted at her, and tried her best not to burst into tears. "What do I do?" She finally asked.

"Girl, I don't know. Like I said, it totally depends on how much he was fighting himself. There are physical repercussions for fighting our inner Saiyan, and right now he's paying for it. Even Kakarot knows that he has to let it out every once in a while," he replied, but not without sympathy.

"Sensei…" Rei chewed on her lower lip for a moment before continuing. "Would it help if I bit him?"

"Actually, girl… that's not a terrible idea. If anything, it would tie some of your life force to his, and likely stabilize him. And it couldn't hurt, at any rate, since I know you're going to let him claim you when he wakes, right?" He asked with a growl.

"Hai," Rei whispered, "I will." She hung up when Vegeta grunted at her with approval, and watched Goten for a long moment before bending over to kiss him. "I'm sorry I'm such a heartless bitch," she sighed, kissing him again. "Please, let this work."

With that, she moved her mouth to his bare shoulder, kissed it tenderly, then bit down as hard as she could. She instantly felt tired and feverish, achy all over, and had to fight tooth and nail not to pass out. "This must be what he'd be feeling if he were awake," she told herself, and immediately took her own vitals. She was running a fever of a hundred and two, but it didn't matter, since his had already dropped to a hundred and three. That was all that mattered to her.

Rei shivered and snuggled back into the bed with him, wrapping her arm tightly around his waist. She used her ki to warm them both, since she deduced that he was chilly, too. She was in and out for a while after that, as her fever climbed, making her a little delirious.

"Rei. Wake up, sweetie. Rei?"

"Hn?" Violet looked into crystal blue, and blinked slowly. "Hey, Usa."

"You're burning up, honey. Here, take these, ok? They might not work on Goten, but they'll sure as hell work on you." Usagi put the pills in Rei's mouth and followed up with a sip of water for her. "There we go, lay back down and nap for a little while, Rei-chan. You look like shit."

Rei chuckled a little at that. "Ok, now I know you're real. For a minute there, I thought I was having a fever dream."

"What? Because I told you you look like shit?" Usagi grinned when she tipped her head a little. "Well, you also look like a fat, water retaining sea cow, if that makes you believe that I'm real."

"Chi-Chi still mad?"

"Yeah, but it's nothing the bitch won't get over. Not everyone's as comfortable with life-long commitment as her or Ami."

"Or you."

"Yeah, but I'm not the one she's comparing you to," Usagi spat. Not only was she angry for Chi-Chi's constant comparing of Ami and Rei, she was furious about how uncomfortable it was making the Senshi of Mercury. Ami had taken to running out of the room anytime Gohan's mother entered it, just to spare herself getting into a conversation about how good a wife she was, and how shitty Rei was going to be, once she finally took the plunge. "I love Chi-Chi, but sometimes…"

"Yeah, I know. You just want to wring her neck til she's blue in the face. I have to admit, though, if I was in her position…" Rei shrugged. "I wouldn't be comparing me and Ami, but I would be pissed at me. Extremely. I can't blame her," she finished quietly.

Usagi sighed in understanding. If it was her son, she'd be angry with Rei, too. "You hungry?"

Rei shook her head as she sat up to change the cool cloth on Goten's forehead. "I'm fine, but thank you, Usa. I'll eat something when he wakes. Hand me my robe?" Rei slipped it around her when Usagi gave it to her, and kissed Goten tenderly before getting out of the bed. "I really need to pee, I'll be right back, ok?"

"Yeah, I've got it." Usagi fished around in her subspace pocket and pulled out a large sack of takeout, in hopes that seeing the food would entice Rei when she returned. When she came back and rolled her eyes at the spread, she shrugged. "Hey, the pregnant lady's hungry."

"Then you eat," Rei said. "I'm not hungry." She slid back under the covers, removed her robe, and was caught between the urge to cry and the urge to sigh with pleasure when her bare skin rubbed against Goten's.

"It's the bond," Usagi said knowingly. "You did the right thing by biting him, you know. Just wait until you can hear him thinking, Stranger makes me nuts sometimes when he's horny."

Rei managed to crack a tiny smile at that, she knew all too well how often Goten was thinking of sex, and found herself simply hoping that he would wake up just to make her crazy.

###############

Rei dozed lightly for a short time, and when she woke, Usagi was gone. She'd left the food, but Rei still wasn't the least bit hungry. Her fever was back down a little, though, and so was Goten's, so she sat up in the bed and read to him for several hours, pausing occasionally to run her fingers through his hair or whisper in his ear, pleading with him to wake up.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "Goten, I'm so sorry. Please just wake up, and you can have me as much as you want, ok?" Rei choked on her next sentence, and brushed tears from her eyes before they could fall. "I love you, Goten. Please wake up."

Wait… _Goten?_ If she'd completed the bond, he should be able to hear her in his head without any effort, right? _Goten? Can you hear me, honey? _Rei leaned over him and stroked her fingertips over his face. _If you can hear me, honey, wake up, ok? I need you to wake up. I need you, _she added softly. _I love you._

She pleaded with him like that on and off, well past sundown, and when she felt like she couldn't even sit up anymore, she fought like hell to stay awake. She could have sworn that she'd felt something in her mind the last time she'd spoken to him through the bond, and she'd be damned if she was going to doze off. _Goten, can you hear me?_ Nothing that time. "Maybe I imagined it," she sighed, brushing away tears of frustration.

###############

"Rei?"

God, she looked like shit. The bags under her eyes were the worst he'd ever seen them, and she'd obviously lost a few pounds in the last… how long had he been out, anyway?

The last thing he remembered was Rei yelling at him during a sparring match, and he'd gotten mad. And that damned inner Saiyan of his had reared its ugly head for the millionth time that week, and he'd shoved it back down as usual. But it had hurt that time… it had felt like his head was splitting open. "Rei?" He asked again, gently shaking her.

She mumbled something incoherent, and when he shook her again, she tipped forward into his arms. "Mmph. Damn it, fell asleep," she mumbled. She jumped when two strong hands helped her sit back up, and she found herself looking into his eyes. "Goten," she whispered shakily.

"Hey, Pyro," he whispered back, brushing his lips over hers. Goten couldn't help but purr a little when her hands reached out and ran over his chest lightly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"Fine, actually. Hungry. And I need to pee really bad," he admitted.

"Oh, God, I'll bet. Here, let me help you to the bathroom."

Goten stood without aid, and caught her when she stumbled. "Rei, how long was I out?"

"A little over two days. Come on, let's get you to the bathroom." Rei sighed when Goten shook his head and merely pointed at the bed in a silent command for her to lie down. "I'm fine, Goten, really. Just tired. Come on." She watched him scowl at her angrily, then clutch at his forehead and grimace in pain. "No, no, no," she said quickly. "Don't fight it, honey. That's what made this happen. You can't fight your inner Saiyan, alright?"

"So that's what did it," he growled, letting go of the tight leash he'd kept his more primal self tethered with for months.

Rei swallowed nervously as he stared at her more intensely than she'd ever seen. "Yeah, it is. It's my fault," she whispered, "and I'm sorry."

Goten's face softened a little at that, and he shook his head. "We're both equally to blame, woman. Come on and lay down. And if you don't, I'm claiming you the moment I get out of the bathroom," he added, when she opened her mouth to protest.

Rei complied and did as she was told, and when he returned and curled up beside her, she couldn't help but sigh with relief to see him conscious. "Usagi left food this afternoon," she offered. "I could heat it up if you'd like."

"In a minute, Pyro." Goten pushed her robe off of her and purred with pleasure at the feel of her bare skin sliding against his own. "Did you sleep with me like this?" He asked, running his hands over every inch of skin he could reach.

"Yeah, I thought it would help," she admitted shyly. "When I did sleep, anyway," she added.

"I can tell. I can also tell that you haven't been eating," he added with annoyance. He sat up and tugged the bags of take-out over. "Here, use your fire to heat them up a bit, and eat. Then you're going to lay down and rest."

"Goten, I'm fine," she sputtered. "Really, I—" Rei moaned softly when he pinned her down and kissed her with such heat that she was melting into him, submitting to him without protest, arching into his hands as they began to explore her body.

And then he broke away, leaving her breathless and wanting more. "Now, woman. Eat something, and lay down."

"Goten, I…" Rei stroked the back of her hand over his jawline, using their bond to tell him what she couldn't say out loud. That she was ready, and she wanted him to finally claim her if that's what he needed.

Goten eyed her hungrily, but his inner Saiyan was insistent on taking care of his mate before it slaked its lust. "Eat," he said firmly, handing her a carton of food. "You're weak from hunger and lack of food. You're my mate, I should take care of you first. Then, when you're rested, I'll claim what's mine."

"Oh," Rei said shyly, reaching out to heat up his food before doing the same to hers. She ate slowly, since she hadn't eaten in two days and wasn't sure if her stomach would accept or reject the food, and when she was full, she found herself being shoved down into the blankets. "Goten…"

He sighed with pleasure when she pulled him down on top of her, and nipped at her lower lip. "No, woman. You're running a fever. You need your rest."

"Actually, you're running the fever," she corrected lightly. "I just took some of it."

"Took some of—" Goten's eyes widened a little, and he looked to his right, catching sight of the mark on his shoulder. "Rei," he whispered, kissing her tenderly. "My Rei. All mine." By marking him in return, she had accepted his claim over her, whether or not that consummated the union. She was his, completely and totally his.

"Yes, Goten, I'm yours," she whispered back, lifting her hips in invitation as she pulled him down to her. "Make love to me."

"After you've rested," he replied gently, nipping at her lower lip. "Sleep, Rei. Then we'll complete the pair-bond."

Rei curled up beside him when he tugged her to his chest, wrapping her arm around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder, and tangling her legs with his own. "Goten, I'm so sorry," she said again, "if I'd known, I wouldn't have stopped you the last time, I swear it. I… was just afraid."

"I know, Rei, and it's alright. I'm fine, and when you wake up, I'll be more than fine," he added with a smirk. "Because you won't stop me this time, right?"

"No," she said with a blush, "I won't."

Rei dozed off swiftly after that, lulled to sleep by the sound of his heartbeat and his fully loosed inner Saiyan purring in contentment. She roused for a moment at some point when it felt like she was being carried, but a few words from her mate and a gentle kiss had her sleeping once more, cradled in his arms.

And when she woke, she realized that she hadn't dreamed of being carried; Goten had moved her at some point into his own bedroom. Combined with the mating bond, the smell of him was the most relaxing thing she'd ever experienced, and she found herself melting against him happily, running her hands lazily over his chest and thighs.

"Already awake and ready for me?" Goten growled sleepily. The growl became a purr when the hand on his thigh timidly brushed between his legs. He cracked open his eyes to find her trembling slightly, but watching him and waiting for him to make a move. "Don't be afraid, Rei. You know I won't hurt you."

"I… I'm not afraid," she whispered, "just nervous. Is there anything I should do?" Rei's hand brushed over him again, this time finding him hard and ready, and she pulled it back as if she'd been burned.

"It won't bite," he chuckled, bending his head to lick her mark. "Don't worry, Rei, it'll feel good for you, too, I promise. What we've done before is about to look like child's play compared to this."

She gave him the slightest of nods before boldly running her fingers down his length. "I'm ready, Goten."

He smirked down at her as his Saiyan broke loose. "Not yet, you aren't."

Rei sighed with pleasure when he showed her what he meant by running a hand up her thigh to stroke her slowly, his fingers thrusting into her as he kissed her with so much demand that she could only lie back and submit to him.

Goten groaned when he felt her total surrender to him, and the Saiyan in him instantly demanded that he claim her. He winced when his head ached at his resistance, and chided his inner beast, wanting to at least give his mate some pleasure before he was forced to give her pain. It seemed to relent at that, and backed off since she was willing and arching into him, dragging her lips down his throat to his mark.

"Don't bite down, Rei. Not yet." He shuddered when she ran her tongue over the mark, and his hand began to move harder, thrusting desperately as he purred and nuzzled her left shoulder, nipping at the scar he hadn't bitten into in months.

"God, yes," she moaned, burying her fingers in his unruly hair, dragging his mouth back to her mark when he moved it to her breast. "Please do it," she begged as she closed in on her climax. "Please," she added, her voice nearly a sob when he only nuzzled it once more and kissed it.

"In a moment, Rei," he purred into her shoulder, biting down lightly once to hear her moan his name. "Do you want me? I want to hear you say it."

"Goten, I want you more than anything," she whimpered, rocking her hips as he withdrew his hand and licked his fingers clean. "Please…" Her leg hooked around one of his and pulled him down against her. "Make love to me Goten. I need you."

Nodding into her neck, the demi-Saiyan lined himself up to take her, easing just slightly into her body. "Relax," he purred, nipping at her mark. "I need you to relax, woman, so I can take you. Understand?"

Rei trembled when she felt him pressing into her, trying her damnedest to do as he told her and not tense up too much, clinging to him tightly as she waited for the expected flash of pain. "I love you, Goten," she whispered so softly that he barely even heard her. "I know I don't act like I do most of the time, but—"

"I know, Rei," he whispered tenderly, "and I love you." Goten bit down just enough to make her mark bleed afresh. "This is going to hurt a little, Pyro." Wanting to give her more pleasure than pain, he bit down again just as he thrust into her, sucked on the bite, and felt his inner beast raise its head and growl in triumph when it smelled her virgin's blood. "Mine," he said savagely, shoving forward to fill her completely.

Rei shook at the intensity in his eyes, and knew without a doubt that the Saiyan in him was in total control. She didn't even have to feel it through the bond to know. "Goten…?" She winced when he withdrew and slid forward, purring in the back of his throat.

"Relax, woman. I won't hurt what's mine," he whispered into the hollow of her throat. He felt her shiver as he slid his hand between them and stroked her lazily, keeping himself still so as not to hurt her. "Tell me you're mine, Rei. I want to hear you say it."

"Yours," she moaned, "I'm yours, Goten."

"Good. Now come for me, woman," he ordered, stroking her harder as he began to move inside of her slowly, groaning with pleasure as he felt her tighten around him.

Completely forgetting that her grandfather could hear them down the hallway, she cried out loudly, rocking her hips into his in a silent invitation to really move. Rei moaned low in her throat as he picked up the pace and thrust into her, filling her with an indescribable wave of ecstasy. "You feel so good, Goten… yes… right there," she whimpered, her body matching his rhythm as she began to spiral upwards once more.

He growled with need as her nails dug into his back and he felt her shatter again. "One more time, Rei. I want to come with you." Goten's head went back and he moaned when she bit down on his mark so hard that he was sure her teeth had gone into the muscle. "Damn it, you like it rough, woman."

Her eyes cracked open just enough to see the domineering glint in his eyes, and she could feel his need to take her hard and fast pouring through their bond like wildfire. "I trust you, Goten… take what you need."

Those words completely shattered his resolve, and he was wrapping his arms around her, using one of them to lift her hips higher so he could drive into her with every drop of need running through his veins.

Rei cried out as he surged into her roughly, penetrating her with an equal amount of pain and pleasure, the rest of his body completely at odds with the force of the way he was claiming her. She forced herself to relax, despite the pain, as the hands resting on the small of her back delicately stroked her spine, making her shiver with pleasure.

And then she winced, and heard him through the bond, heard the Saiyan in him speaking directly to her.

_ My mate. No pain. Only pleasure. Protect you. Love you. Please you._

Despite the primitiveness with which it spoke to her, Rei found herself drawing his face back down to hers, and sent a wave of love and complete acceptance through the bond. The result surprised the hell out of her; the Saiyan was still completely in control, but now its chest was vibrating as it purred soothingly, slowing its movements.

Rei gasped and arched into him when the pain totally vanished, leaving her with nothing but raw pleasure blooming low in her stomach. "Goten…"

"That's it… that's right… mine. Completely _**mine**_."

"Yes, Goten, I'm yours," she replied, a hitch in her voice as she moaned hoarsely. Then she felt him biting down on her mark once more, and was soaring, clutching at him as if she was afraid she'd crash to earth, tightening around him as she came harder than she ever had.

She felt him following her into the land of ecstasy, gasping at the warmth of him spilling into her, and how the sensation sent a pulse of aftershocks through her body, making her whimper with delight.

The Saiyan on top of her finally rolled to her side, breathing heavily, his head spinning from the feel of her pleasure through the bond. And then Goten opened his eyes, his vision clearing as the haze of lust finally began to retreat from his mind.

He stared at her in growing alarm; she was breathing, yes, but her eyes were closed, she was really flushed, and he could smell the blood scent hanging in the air. One of his shaky hands reached out to cup her face. "Rei…?" God, his voice was shaking just as badly.

Oh dear God, had he hurt her!? God no; please God, no! He'd never be able to forgive himself! "Rei!?"

Hearing the pleading sob in his voice, her violet eyes cracked open and looked at him in… was that amusement he saw? "Can't just let a girl bask in the afterglow for one minute, can you?" She asked, her voice holding nothing but love and that familiar teasing tone that he adored.

Goten visibly sagged into the blankets of his bed and yanked her tightly to him, nuzzling her mark as his chest began to rumble once more in a throaty purr. "Mine," he said happily, sounding like some placated toddler.

Rei snorted a little at that and shook her head at the notion. It was pretty accurate, though; her whole experience with any Saiyan male's inner beast left her feeling like she'd just dealt with a selfish, greedy little boy. "Guess that's the primal side in all of us," she mused, "only you boys have a lot more of it than humans."

"Rei, I smell more blood than I thought I would," Goten said worriedly, sniffing the air.

"It's fine, honey; I kinda got what I asked for, but your beastie slowed things down… which was more than a little surprising." She turned in his arms to look at him as something dawned on her. "You… you don't even remember it, do you?"

"I—" Goten blushed, clearly embarrassed. "No and yes," he finally admitted. "It's hazy as hell, but I remember _you_, if that's anything. The way you tasted, the way you felt… but any conversation you had with the Saiyan in me… no, not really."

Rei chuckled at that and shook her head. "Don't worry, it's alright, Goten." She leaned in and kissed him passionately, smirking against his lips when that purr in his chest turned into a little growl of desire, and she squealed a little when he rolled her on top of him.

Then they both jumped and froze at the sound of a knock at the sliding door."Everything ok? I heard yelling. You two aren't fighting again, are you?"

"N—N—No, Grandpa!" Rei yelled, eyes wide in shock. "We're fine, thanks!"

"What are you doing in there?" The old man asked in concern.

Goten laughed and shook his head. "Your granddaughter!" He cackled, and only laughed harder when Rei's violet eyes nearly popped out of her head; she was too stunned to even slap at him.

There was a long pause before Grandpa answered. "About damned time," he finally said, his voice full of happiness. "Night, kids! Continue!"

Goten chuckled softly and shook his head. "Ah, now where were we, beautiful?"

"Before you told my grandpa that we were in here having sex?" She snapped. Rei turned her head when he tried to kiss her.

"I'd prefer to call it making love," he correctly lightly, licking and nipping at her mark, knowing exactly what it would do to her. "And I'd like to do it again, right now, while I can actually remember it all."

Rei shivered with pleasure when his teeth sank into her shoulder and he sucked at the mark, making her cry out as her mind went white with rapture. And then she was dragging him on top of her again, wrapping her legs around his waist, and nipping at his mark in return. "You'd better remember it this time, or I'll have to set your hair on fire."

"And if I don't, we can always just do it over and over until I do."


End file.
